as in proponent
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
an instigator who always managed to be innocently standing by once the fighting began
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Recent Examples of instigator
But while Josh may be the instigator, none of this would be remotely possible without George.
—
Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Jia is critical of this, making references to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as an instigator to rapid growth across the country.
—Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought – while omitting the name of outside instigators – implies the culpability of that state.
—Esther Brito Ruiz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
One of the main instigators, Starboard Value, is back for more.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Interlune’s instigator and intellectual godfather is an 89-year-old former astronaut, Harrison Schmitt, who serves as executive chairman.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
And the main instigators are men.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Lee, seeking to move past a military takeover attempt by his predecessor, positioned himself as a facilitator of dialogue rather than an instigator of confrontation.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
Dana being one of them, Robby obviously being one, and Santos being, in some way, the instigator or the catalyst for that whole story to fall apart.
—EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Ben Church, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Jia is critical of this, making references to the 2008 Beijing Olympics as an instigator to rapid growth across the country.
—Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought – while omitting the name of outside instigators – implies the culpability of that state.
—Esther Brito Ruiz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
One of the main instigators, Starboard Value, is back for more.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Interlune’s instigator and intellectual godfather is an 89-year-old former astronaut, Harrison Schmitt, who serves as executive chairman.
—Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
And the main instigators are men.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Lee, seeking to move past a military takeover attempt by his predecessor, positioned himself as a facilitator of dialogue rather than an instigator of confrontation.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
Dana being one of them, Robby obviously being one, and Santos being, in some way, the instigator or the catalyst for that whole story to fall apart.
—EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigator
Noun
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However, proponents of the bill say the veto will result in more exposure to toxic chemicals.—
Rachel Frazin,
The Hill,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Osefo, a woman of multiple degrees and a proponent of higher learning, stars in The Real Housewives of Potomac, which premiered last Sunday on Bravo.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Many of the president’s supporters have backed his moves to combat drug trade in the region, however, some Republicans, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, as well as many Democrats, have expressed concern over the president’s unilateral decisions.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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America’s farmers are among the president’s most dependable supporters.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the article, Roufus criticized promoters who were focused on profits and lacked the experience to safely sponsor fights.—
Cleo Krejci,
jsonline.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
As promoters hit him up to bring Experts Only from Los Angeles to Japan, the final goal of his new empire is to throw parties without even playing at them.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hegseth likened the Colombian rebel group to the Al Qaeda terror group founded by Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The Moscow meeting was remarkable given that Russia is harboring Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, whose government was overthrown by rebels led by al-Sharaa.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Juarez, who was never charged by the feds, has long been a fierce advocate for Chretien’s company.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Today, scientists, influencers, advocates and politicians are publicly condemning ultraprocessed foods.—
Alice Callahan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Boston Police Department said that agitators directly assaulted officers during the riot.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
-
The cases range from political agitators seeking to intimidate immigrants to others using the guise of authority to allegedly kidnap, rob or assault victims.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hailey, a 24-year-old demonstrator in an inflatable frog suit, told CNN that she was inspired by demonstrators in Portland, who have faced off against federal law enforcement for weeks.—
Dalia Faheid,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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In a major milestone for Germany’s maritime defense, Diehl Defence has successfully tested a navalized demonstrator of its IRIS-T SLM air defense system during the Maritime Firing Exercise (MFE) 2025, the German Navy’s largest missile firing drill in three decades.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But the Georgia firebrand pointed specifically to the issue of health care premiums, which are expected to skyrocket at the end of the year, when enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are scheduled to expire.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
12 Oct. 2025
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Like Bevan, Sheen is a Welsh firebrand unafraid to wear his leftist politics.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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