The instigator is the initiator of some action

The instigator is the initiator of some action, most often he provokes a conflict or begins a riot. One of the scientific encyclopedias treats this concept as follows: a person who is guilty of a conflict between certain persons. This word is not used to express a good attitude towards a person. Most often, they call it the one who provoked unpleasant or even difficult circumstances. The person who is so called, as a rule, is a good manipulator, because he knows how to kindle conflicts and incite people to ill-considered actions. The instigator is a person who deliberately provokes the occurrence of unpleasant events.

The instigator: a paronym

Paronyms are words that sound almost the same, because of what they can be misused in speech. If the instigator is a person who is the founder of bad, conflict situations, then the pioneer is a person with good intentions. He can organize a competition, an exhibition or even open a new direction in art. Do not confuse the two concepts. If you accidentally use the word "instigator" in the address of a decent person, you risk insulting him undeservedly. So learn the meaning of both of these words.

The provocateur in committing a crime

There is one more meaning for the word "instigator". This is a person who incites other people to commit a crime. Simply put, the leader of a criminal group. By law, this person receives punishment, which is more severe than punishment of other participants in the crime. The instigator is considered the main culprit of the incident.

Thus, the word "instigator", the real meaning of which is not known to everyone, can offend a person if it is rashly thrown at him. Therefore, study the meaning of this term to avoid embarrassing situations.