incitar (spanish) - meaning, definition, translation, pronunciation

Part of Speech

Verb

Phonetic Transcription

/inkɪˈtaɾ/

Translation Options into English

• To incite
• To motivate
• To instigate

Meaning and Usage

The verb "incitar" refers to the act of encouraging or provoking someone to take a specific action, often implying a call to action that may be controversial or aggressive. It is commonly used in both general and legal contexts, particularly when discussing behavior that may incite violence, riots, or other types of misconduct.

Frequency of Use

The term is frequently used in both oral and written contexts, with a slight inclination towards written forms especially in legal texts, articles, and political discourse.

Example Sentences

1. Incitar a la violencia no es aceptable en nuestra sociedad.
   Inciting violence is not acceptable in our society.

2. El maestro intenta incitar a sus estudiantes a pensar críticamente.
   The teacher tries to incite his students to think critically.

3. Es ilegal incitar a otros a cometer un delito.
   It is illegal to incite others to commit a crime.

Idiomatic Expressions

"Incitar" appears in several idiomatic expressions, often retaining its core meaning related to provocation, encouragement, or stimulation.

1. Incitar a la acción
   To incite to action
   Los líderes deben incitar a la acción para lograr cambios significativos.
   Leaders must incite action to achieve meaningful change.

2. Incitar al desorden
   To incite disorder
   Su discurso incitó al desorden en las calles.
   His speech incited disorder in the streets.

3. Incitar al odio
   To incite hatred
   Las redes sociales a veces son un espacio para incitar al odio.
   Social media is sometimes a space to incite hatred.

4. Incitar la participación
   To incite participation
   El evento busca incitar la participación de la comunidad.
   The event aims to incite community participation.

5. Incitar la curiosidad
   To incite curiosity
   Los libros de misterio incitan la curiosidad de los lectores.
   Mystery books incite the curiosity of readers.

Etymology

The word "incitar" comes from the Latin verb incitare, which means "to urge on" or "to stimulate." It is formed by the prefix "in-" (meaning "upon" or "into") and "citar" (to summon), thus literally meaning "to summon or urge into action."

Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms: - Provocar (to provoke) - Estimular (to stimulate) - Incentivar (to incentivize)

Antonyms: - Desincentivar (to disincentivize) - Apaciguar (to pacify) - Desalentar (to discourage)