instigar

Instigar is a verb used in several Romance languages, notably Portuguese and Spanish, meaning to urge, provoke, or incite someone to take a course of action, often a definite or illicit one. It conveys the sense of prompting or stirring others to act, rather than simply encouraging in a mild or general way. In legal and journalistic contexts, instigar is commonly used to describe urging others to commit a crime or wrongdoing, as in instigar alguém a cometer um delito or instigar a alguien a cometer un delito.

Etymology and usage notes: Instigar derives from Latin instīgāre, meaning “to spur on.” The prefix in- plus the root associated with pricking or urging contributed to the sense of provoking action. The word can carry a negative or accusatory nuance, depending on context, and is often contrasted with milder synonyms such as estimular or incentivar in Portuguese, and incitar in Spanish.

Common constructions and examples: In Portuguese, one might say instigar a violência or instigar alguém a agir. In Spanish, frases like instigar a alguien a cometer un delito or instigar a la multitud to incite a crowd are typical. The noun form in Portuguese is instigação (or incitação in some contexts), and in Spanish, instancia or instigación serves as the corresponding noun.

Related terms and registers: Instigar sits between neutral encouragement and explicit incitement, with stronger connotations than estimular or incentivar and sometimes overlapping with incitar. It is widely used in legal, political, and media language to describe prompting others toward action, especially when that action is harmful or unlawful.