Foment
Foment verb - To bring (something volatile or intense) into being.
Usage example: John Adams's wife, Abigail, told him that if women were not remembered by the new American government, they would “foment a Rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice or Representation”
Instigate is a synonym for foment in cause topic. In some cases you can use "Instigate" instead a verb "Foment", when it comes to topics like stir up, provoke, incite. popular alternative
Nearby Words: fomentation, fomenting
Instigate
Instigate verb - To bring (something volatile or intense) into being.
Usage example: the medical breakthrough instigated a whole new field of therapy
Foment is a synonym for instigate in provoke topic. You can use "Foment" instead a verb "Instigate", if it concerns topics such as activity, influence, cause, incite. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Cite this Source
Instigate and Foment. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/foment/instigate
Foment & Instigate. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/foment/instigate>.
Instigate or Foment. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/foment/instigate.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "foment" and "instigate" have occurred on timeline