FOMENT Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'foment' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of foment are abet , incite , and instigate . While all these words mean "to spur to action," foment implies persistence in goading. // fomenting rebellion

Q: When would 'abet' be a good substitute for 'foment'?

The words abet and foment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, abet implies both assisting and encouraging. // aiding and abetting the enemy

Q: Where would 'incite' be a reasonable alternative to 'foment'?

The words incite and foment can be used in similar contexts, but incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating. // inciting a riot

Q: When could 'instigate' be used to replace 'foment'?

The meanings of instigate and foment largely overlap; however, instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention. // instigated a conspiracy

foment

verb

ˈfō-ˌment

Definition of foment next

as in to provoke

to bring (something volatile or intense) into being 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"

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How does the verb foment contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of foment are abet, incite, and instigate. While all these words mean "to spur to action," foment implies persistence in goading.

fomenting rebellion

When would abet be a good substitute for foment?

The words abet and foment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, abet implies both assisting and encouraging.

aiding and abetting the enemy

Where would incite be a reasonable alternative to foment?

The words incite and foment can be used in similar contexts, but incite stresses a stirring up and urging on, and may or may not imply initiating.

inciting a riot

When could instigate be used to replace foment?

The meanings of instigate and foment largely overlap; however, instigate definitely implies responsibility for initiating another's action and often connotes underhandedness or evil intention.

instigated a conspiracy

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of foment The clips, which first emerged Sunday, also continue to foment speculation about what was really going on between them. —

Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024 Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson on college faculty members and their role in fomenting student protests. —

Fox News Staff, Fox News, 13 Sep. 2024 In the second term especially, these pop-culture controversies became a pressure-release valve for passions the political system could not accommodate and helped foment a destabilizing backlash. —

Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024 The popular uprising was neither organized nor steered by the opposition political parties, but Hasina resorted to the familiar narrative of blaming the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party for fomenting the protests. —

Ali Riaz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for foment