PROVOCATEUR Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

provocateur

noun

prō-ˌvä-kə-ˈtər

Definition of provocateur

as in rebel

a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 provocateur The Onion is pressing ahead with its takeover of InfoWars, the conspiracy-laden media empire formerly owned by far-right provocateur Alex Jones. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The height of her popularity came during her 12-year relationship with French provocateur Serge Gainsbourg. — Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 1 July 2026 Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs. — Anna Marks, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Objection’s Founder and CEO is Aron D’Souza, an Australian entrepreneur and provocateur best known as the mastermind behind Thiel’s litigation strategy against Gawker, which involved a patient, extensive search for the ideal proxy plaintiff to sink the online news outlet. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for provocateur

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur

Noun

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed an attack on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery Sunday, a major crude oil refinery located on the Red Sea coast in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

— Ibrahim Dahman, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Attacks could draw retaliation and reignite Yemen’s war Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government into exile.

— Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebel

Noun

The idea sometimes asserted by promoters that asset protection planning can allow a person to decrease their insurance coverage is false.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Those recommendations can expose investors to steep losses, particularly when promoters use their audiences to inflate a token's price before selling their own holdings, a practice commonly known as a pump-and-dump scheme.

— Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of promoter

Noun

Naturally, Cornyn’s increasing role as a White House agitator and swing vote hasn’t gone over well with the MAGA base.

— Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026
Some of the speculation comes from state workers who are unhappy with the governor’s decision, the moderator said, but the subreddit’s activity also attracts outside agitators who are obviously not government employees.

— William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of agitator

Noun

But lawmakers appear to be turning to the provisions as a means of transitioning away from that model and toward what proponents, including Netanyahu, describe as a mutually beneficial defense partnership.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Although proponents say the substances help with weight loss, energy and muscle mass, and often cite research that has been done solely on animals or on a very small number of humans, no one knows for certain how or when it should be used in humans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of proponent

Noun

If the conservative base continues to demand ideological purity, pushing polarizing firebrands into a general election, the result will always be an immediate, lopsided blowout.

— Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
The speech that followed created the perception of her as a firebrand, but those who have followed her career closely have found a more circumspect figure.

— Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026

Definition of firebrand

Noun

Even her supporters glance askance at one another during her rambling entreaties.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Cliven Bundy, the family patriarch, rallied hundreds of supporters to block the roundup of his cattle, sparking a days long armed standoff between law enforcement and the Bundy group near the town of Bunkerville, outside of Las Vegas.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of supporter

Noun

The Constitution was crafted out of fear — fear of concentrated power, factional dominance, corruption, demagogues, unchecked executives, and the use of public office for personal gain.

— Paul Oestreicher, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026
But those standards can be easily stretched by demagogues, and a simple majority on the committee is enough to ban a party, though a panel of nine Supreme Court justices can overturn the decision on appeal.

— Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Definition of demagogue

Browse Nearby Words

provisos

provocateur

provocateurs

See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of provocateur

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

salvo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes