"To incite one against the other"?

Question

Hello,Does “to incite one against the other” have the same meaning as “to pit one against the other”? (I’d like to express that someone generates a conflict between two or more parties.) Could you, please, let me know? Thank you!

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Not quite. To pit is to cause to fight, while to incite is to encourage to fight. In addition, I think you should restructure: to incite one to fight against another [incite (someone) to do (something)].

If you want synonyms, here is one on-line dictionary's comments:

instigate, provoke, goad, spur, arouse, exhort; fire; induce. Incite, rouse, provoke, inflame are verbs meaning to goad or inspire an individual or a group to take some action or to express some feeling. Incite and rouse are similar in that, although they can imply in some contexts abrasive or inflammatory arousal of violent or uncontrolled behavior, neither necessarily does so. Incite means simply to induce activity, of whatever kind: incited to greater effort by encouragement; incited to riot. Rouse has an underlying sense of awakening: to rouse the apathetic soldiers to a determination to win; to rouse the inattentive public to an awareness of the danger. Provoke implies a sense of challenge or irritation along with arousal and often suggests a resultant anger or violence: provoked by scathing references to his accomplishments; to provoke a wave of resentment. Inflame, with its root sense to set afire, implies a resultant intensity and passion: to inflame a mob by fiery speeches; He was inflamed to rage by constant frustration.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you very much, Mister Micawber!!

The dictionary you quote sounds much better than the one I use. Could you tell me which one it is, please?

Mister Micawber · Answer

I go [url=http://www.onelook.com/?w=incite&ls=a] HERE[/url] and then browse the various dictionaries.

"To incite one against the other"?

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