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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of provocateur
By focusing so much on the Jewish people and the Jewish state, these provocateurs have a much broader goal in mind than merely ostracizing America's small Jewish minority.
—
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The Supreme Court won’t help conservative provocateur Laura Loomer take on social media companies and their advertisers who have blocked her posts.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
The most sensational collision of the FCC, the radio networks, and notions of the public interest was inspired not by Orson Welles but by another multihyphenate auteur, the screen goddess and provocateur Mae West.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The Supreme Court won’t help conservative provocateur Laura Loomer take on social media companies and their advertisers who have blocked her posts.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
The most sensational collision of the FCC, the radio networks, and notions of the public interest was inspired not by Orson Welles but by another multihyphenate auteur, the screen goddess and provocateur Mae West.
—Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
Kirk was a provocateur who at times made statements that some called racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant and transphobic.
—Jonathan J. Cooper, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
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The apparent killing – captured on video shared online by the rebels themselves – took place at a university medical school in El Fasher in Sudan’s western Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over the city on Sunday.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
As regular troops in French service, the British treated them as prisoners of war instead of Jacobite rebels, and eventually repatriated them to France.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While Fury announced his retirement last January, promoter Frank Warren hinted at a Fury comeback with the British fighter hoping to complete a trilogy against the undefeated champion.—
Antonio Losada,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
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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
Noun
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Tarek Bazrouk, an anti-Israel agitator who was hit with federal hate crime charges after assaulting Jewish counter-protesters, was sentenced to 17 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release.—
Rachel Wolf , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
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While the dye likely won’t affect the metal components, the plastic agitator, drum, rim, and seal in your machine may no longer be white.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This was a momentous development for child-care proponents such as myself, who have long argued that wide-reaching free programs are crucial for parents and for a healthy democracy.—
Elliot Haspel,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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That’s because the gains at the top are largely predicated on a speculative artificial intelligence stock market boom that even some AI proponents say could quickly fizzle — and potentially take the US economy down with it.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The 63-year-old former assemblyman isn’t campaigning as a culture warrior or firebrand.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
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Whereas Melvin was a milquetoast mainstay with two decades of experience as a major-league manager, Vitello arrives as a 47-year-old firebrand who neither played nor coached at any level of professional baseball.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Favorability Ratings Reveal Polarized Electorate All three candidates face underwater favorability ratings, though Mamdani’s supporters remain the most energized.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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At last weekend’s general assembly of Barcelona club members, Laporta tried to thread a delicate path when defending the plan to play a domestic game over 4,500 miles away, knowing that Tebas is not exactly popular with his team’s supporters.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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State and local law enforcement officers detain a protestor during a demonstration near an ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, on October 10, 2025.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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At least one protester was arrested, accused of assaulting a federal officer, according to DHS.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In fact, the term itself was an epithet throughout the founding era, a way to describe ignorant and easily deceived popular majorities, perpetually vulnerable to demagogues.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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That’s in no way a movement that could sweep the midterms and then be harnessed by a charismatic demagogue to remake an entire political party.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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