An instigator is the initiator of an action; more often than not, he provokes a conflict or starts a riot. One of the scientific encyclopedias interprets this concept as follows: the person who is to blame for the conflict between certain individuals. Such a word is not used to express a good attitude towards a person. This is most often called the one who provoked unpleasant or even difficult circumstances. The person who is so called, as a rule, is a good manipulator, since he knows how to stir up conflicts and incite people to rash actions. An instigator is a person who deliberately provokes the occurrence of unpleasant events.
Bearer: Paronym
Paronyms are words that sound almost the same, which is why they can be used incorrectly in speech. If the instigator is a person who is the founder of bad, conflict situations, then the instigator is a person with good intentions. He can organize competitions, exhibitions or even open a new direction in art. Do not confuse the two concepts. If you accidentally use the word "instigator" to a decent person, you risk offending him undeservedly. Therefore, learn the meaning of both of these words.
Crime provocateur
There is another meaning of the word "instigator." This is a person who incites other people to commit a crime. Simply put, the leader of a criminal gang. By law, this person receives a sentence that is more severe than the punishment of the 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 thoughtlessly thrown at him. Therefore, learn the meaning of this term to avoid embarrassing situations.