How is Insight Different from Incite? When Do We Use Each?

“Insight” and “incite” are homophones that cannot sound more alike despite their varied spellings. But, at the same time, they mean two different things altogether. What do the two words mean, anyway?

“Insight” is a noun that denotes “a deeper understanding of a thing”. The verb “incite”, on the other hand, signifies “spurring on” or “encouraging” an act. “Incite” is typically used in texts to evoke a “riot or riot-like scenario”. And proper “insight” could help understand why those riots happened.

Besides their unique meanings, how the two terms get used in texts could also vary based on the context presented. To learn more about the same in greater detail and a host of other information about “insight” and “incite”, read on.

“Insight” – Definition

“Insight” basically denotes “a deeper understanding”. It is a noun that denotes “the outcome or act of apprehending the inner nature or capability of a given thing”. Deconstruct the words “in-” and “-sight”, and you’ll get the literal meaning broken down. In other words, “in-” means “inner”, and “-sight” denotes vision, or “inner vision”.

“Insight” is a form of “sight” that not everyone possesses, or it’s subject to how deeply one understands an individual, situation, or thing. The term is believed to have been derived from the word “innsihht”, which means “mental vision and understanding”. The root word has been around since the 1200s. “Insight” perhaps took birth around the same time.

People with the right “insights” are capable of understanding individuals and situations clearly. They invariably have a solution to an issue or a way to attain an objective.

Useful insights let people find what others cannot see in a painting, situation, or a discussion. In psychology, “insight” denotes “being able to comprehend one’s own thoughts and processes and classify neurotic and psychotic disorders”“.

Clearly, a person with “insight” has the “insider perspective”. For someone to have “insight” about a thing or person, they should have closely worked on or with it. Not to mention, gaining “insight” means “the effort put into learning the truth about a thing by closely observing it”.

“Incite” – Definition

The verb “incite” denotes “to stimulate action” or “put something into action”. The term is generally used in negative contexts, or it connotes evil intention or underhandedness, as in “riling up” or “spurring on” a violent, angry, or harmful protest or demonstration.

The word is derived from “incitare”, a Latin term that means “putting in motion”. The terms comparable or synonymous with the word include “instigate”, “abet”, “foment”, etc.

In medical contexts, the term assumes a slightly different definition, meaning “induce to occur or exist”. This meaning, however, is not common knowledge, mostly restricted to the medical fraternity.

Comparing “Insight” and “Incite”

“Insight” and “incite” clearly are two distinct words that mean different things. The spellings, however, are quite alike, and the pronunciations are almost identical. However, upon probing a bit, you’ll come to know that the two are not pronounced the same way after all.

In other words, the stress is more on the first syllable with “insight” and on the second in the case of “incite”. If you are listening to someone giving a talk, and you’re unsure if the word they used was “insight” or “incite”, listen to how they pronounced the term. However, most people may not be aware of correctly pronouncing the words, often uttering them in the same way.

In that case, look out for where and how the word is being used in a given sentence. “Insight” is primarily a noun, and “incite” is almost always used as a verb. Therefore, if the word to be used is a noun, “incite” is not the term. In other words, you can “have insight”, but you can never “have incite”.

And like most verbs, “incite” has different forms or inflections, which include “inciting”, “incites”, and “incited”. “Insight” has a few other forms too, which include the plural form “insights”, and “insightful”, the derived adjective.

Using the Term “Insight” in Texts

The noun “insight” can be used either as a mass noun or a count noun. The term can also be “adjectivized” and used in sentences. For example:

• She prepares well in advance before every interview to come up with some insightful questions during the interaction.
• Her presentation on how games could be beneficial to business was quite insightful.
• We were waiting for him to say something insightful, but that did not happen.

Not to mention, the adjective “insightful” denotes something (a question or observation) that is derived from viewing a subject closely.

Using the Word “Incite” in Writings

As mentioned above, the term “incite” is commonly used in texts discussing riots, or rather “inciting” one. It also can be used in texts to denote the fear that precedes a supposed “uprising”. For example:

• The news incited fear and paranoia across the state.

Outside of the contexts of rebellions and conspiracies, “incite” could also be used to signify or replace phrases or terms such as “spur on”, “stir up”, “urge on”, etc.

As mentioned above, “incite” can also be used in medical texts or contexts. For example:

• The organisms readily incite antibody formation.

In the above sentence, “incite” doesn’t denote what it generally means. But since this alternate meaning of the word is so recluse or relatively unknown, almost no one outside the realm of medicine uses “incite” considering its secondary meaning.

“Incite” Does Not Always Have a Negative Tone

Since “incite” is almost always used with negative connotations, it’s commonly believed that the verb always “encourages” something evil or wrong. But that is not actually the case as the term’s actual meaning doesn’t directly state or imply that. Since the word often gets associated with “riots” and “uprisings”, it is almost always used in conjunction with protests and public outcries.

As a result, it seems incorrect to use the term in a positive light. Irrespective of this oddity, it’s not grammatically wrong to incorporate “incite” in texts that do not talk about “riots” or anything similar. A sentence like the following, for example, is perfectly fine:

• With some additional push, solar energy can turn into a cheaper power source, inciting conventional petroleum firms to focus more on renewable energy.

However, if your readers find the usage of the term above incorrect, do not deride them as “incite” seldom gets used to mean something positive.

Words Can Have a Change of Meanings

“Incite” is not the only word to have seen an alteration in its “presumed meanings”. There have been words before that have undergone such transfigurations, and there are likely to be more that may experience similar metamorphoses.

The term “silly“, for instance, did not always mean what it currently stands for. These alterations in meanings signify the beauty of the English language. A language is not meant to be static. It should flow and adapt. English is good at that.

On another note, as the words “insight” and “incite” mean two different things, it’s relatively easy to incorporate the two in the same sentence. For example, “The individual has some insights on what incited the riots.”

Example Sentences with the Word “Insight”

The following are sentences that use the noun “insight” correctly:

• The objective is to gain insights and learn lessons that may be lost otherwise due to the unrest.
• Some of the soundscapes provided much-required insights into marine life.
• The term “insight” is one of the most overused words in the business world.
• The tool offers publishers more significant insights into their potential buyers without having to employ third-party cookies.
• With proper insights, you could turn each engagement into a valuable and memorable experience.
• Fun and insight usually do not go hand in hand.
• Their insights were lousy, which is why they couldn’t get the execution right.
• The episode gave the audience a proper insight into the character.
• An essay is usually an insightful analysis of a given topic.
• The chapter is suggestive of fresh perspectives and, therefore, insightful.
• Courage is mostly a lack of insight. Cowardice, on the other hand, is rooted in factual information.
• The workshops inspired insight, invention, and imagination.
• We provided them insights into the issues faced by students on campus.

Example Sentences with the Term “Incite”

The following is a list of sentences that incorporate “incite” in its various avatars:

• The minister alleged that the opposition incited the protests.
• The band failing to show up for the concert incited a riot-like situation since the crowd had assembled three hours before the show’s official commencement.
• I cannot guarantee he’ll speak in a way that doesn’t incite violence.
• Rather than inciting her, it caused her to fall asleep.
• The fiery speech incited a revolt against the establishment.
• Do not post comments that could incite racial or religious intolerance of any kind.
• Her complete disregard for the crowd only incited more anger in the people.
• The government will not condone unsubstantiated assertions and false statements inciting hatred against a particular community.
• The power supply glitch caused all the smoke, but it, fortunately, didn’t incite anything serious.
• Tomatoes were believed to incite unbridled passion in people who ate them.
• The man was arrested for inciting the riot.
• The event seeks to incite excitement in people.

Conclusion

The terms “insight” and “incite” are unique. If you had any doubts, this article should have cleared them all. Besides using them correctly in your sentences, note the slight variation in how they are pronounced. Pay heed to the same the next time you utter either of the two terms.