stirring up
Getting things going
Stirring up means provoking or inciting something—usually trouble, emotions, or conflict.
You stir up controversy, stir up resentment, or stir up a hornet's nest.
The image is of agitating something settled until it becomes active or turbulent: The politician was accused of stirring up racial tensions.
Someone who stirs up trouble is a troublemaker or agitator.
- agitateDisturb or provoke
- incitingUrging others to act
- inflamingArousing strong emotion
- provokingCausing a reaction
- fomentingActively stirring up discord
arousing · mixing · instigating · energize · rabble-rousing · raising hell · fermenting · kindling · baiting · getting a rise · riling up · whipping up · working up · mobilizing · churning · riling · spawning · sparking
- provocationbaiting, goading, taunting, incitement, instigation
- slang behaviorsgoofing off, messing around, fooling around, horsing around, slacking
- troublemakingtroublemaker, troublemaking, instigate, agitator, instigating
- incitementinciting, instigating, provoking, incitement, instigation
- muddlingmuddling, jumbling, scrambling, mixing up, disarranging
- treasontreason, high treason, sedition, turncoat, state betrayal
stirring upsuppressing
Forcibly restraining or inhibiting
quashing · stifling · putting down · squelching · dampening
stirring upsettling
Reaching resolution or rest
calming · leaving alone · stilling · quieting down · stabilizing
stir, disturb, stirring, stirred, stir up, disturbing, disturbed, stirs, uproarious