Definitions
- Referring to the act of initiating or starting something, often with the intention of causing a particular outcome. - Talking about encouraging or urging someone to take action, especially in a negative or harmful way. - Describing the act of inciting or stirring up trouble or conflict.
- Referring to the act of deliberately causing a reaction or response from someone, often negative or hostile. - Talking about inciting or stimulating a particular emotion or feeling in someone. - Describing the act of annoying or irritating someone to the point of eliciting a reaction.
List of Similarities
- 1Both words involve causing a reaction or response in someone.
- 2Both words can have negative connotations.
- 3Both words can be used to describe actions that lead to conflict or trouble.
What is the difference?
- 1Intention: Instigate implies a deliberate effort to initiate or start something, while provoke suggests a more general desire to cause a reaction.
- 2Emotion: Provoke is often used to describe actions that elicit a specific emotional response, while instigate may not have an emotional component.
- 3Action: Instigate often involves encouraging or urging someone to take a particular action, while provoke may simply involve saying or doing something that causes a reaction.
- 4Severity: Instigate can be used to describe actions that lead to serious consequences, while provoke may be used for less severe situations.
- 5Frequency: Provoke may suggest a repeated or ongoing behavior, while instigate may be a one-time event.
Remember this!
Instigate and provoke are both verbs that describe actions that cause a reaction or response in someone. However, instigate implies a deliberate effort to initiate or start something, often with the intention of causing a particular outcome. On the other hand, provoke suggests a more general desire to cause a reaction, often by saying or doing something that elicits a specific emotional response.
