incite
Meaning: To encourage or stir up violent, unlawful, or undesirable behaviour in others; to provoke or urge someone to act in a harmful or disruptive way.
Incite is a strongly negative verb that implies deliberate provocation with harmful intent. In British law, 'incitement' is a serious offence — inciting racial hatred, inciting violence, and inciting disorder are all criminal charges. The word suggests that the person doing the inciting is responsible for the actions of those they have stirred up, even if they did not carry out the actions themselves. It collocates with 'violence,' 'hatred,' 'unrest,' 'rebellion,' 'riot,' and 'disorder,' and is a mainstay of legal, political, and security discourse.
Examples
- Three individuals were arrested on suspicion of using social media to incite disorder during the protests. 三名涉嫌利用社交媒体在抗议期间煽动骚乱的人被逮捕。Tres personas fueron detenidas bajo sospecha de haber utilizado las redes sociales para incitar al desorden durante las protestas.抗議活動中にソーシャルメディアを使って騒乱を扇動した疑いで3名が逮捕された。시위 중 소셜 미디어를 이용해 소요를 선동한 혐의로 3명이 체포되었다.
- The prosecution argued that the defendant's inflammatory speech was designed to incite racial hatred. 控方辩称,被告的煽动性演讲旨在煽动种族仇恨。La acusación sostuvo que el discurso inflamatorio del acusado estaba diseñado para incitar al odio racial.検察側は、被告の扇動的な演説が人種的憎悪を煽ることを意図したものだと主張した。검찰은 피고인의 선동적 연설이 인종적 증오를 부추기기 위해 고안된 것이라고 주장했다.
- Historians continue to debate whether the pamphlet was intended to incite rebellion or merely to express legitimate grievances. 历史学家们仍在争论那本小册子究竟是意在煽动叛乱,还是仅仅表达合理的不满。Los historiadores siguen debatiendo si el panfleto pretendía incitar a la rebelión o meramente expresar agravios legítimos.そのパンフレットが反乱を扇動することを意図したものだったのか、それとも単に正当な不満を表明したものだったのか、歴史家たちは今なお議論を続けている。그 팸플릿이 반란을 선동하려는 의도였는지, 아니면 단순히 정당한 불만을 표출하려 한 것인지에 대해 역사학자들은 여전히 논쟁을 이어가고 있다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: general, professional
Tone: negative
Origin & History
From Latin incitare (to put into rapid motion, urge forward), from in- (into, towards) and citare (to set in motion, summon). Entered English in the 15th century.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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