rabble-rouser

noun

ˈra-bəl-ˌrau̇-zər How to pronounce rabble-rouser (audio)
Definition of rabble-rousernext
as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent rabble-rousers inciting hungry people in breadlines to demand social justice

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 rabble-rouser And still the Swedish rabble-rousers endure. — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026 Bryce Young makes the placid Brock Purdy look like a rabble-rouser at the podium. — Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025 There are also rabble-rousers at the site, yelling expletives as heavily armed federal officers survey them on the sidewalk from a perch up on the roof. — Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025 Most of these commentators, influencers, and rabble-rousers operate outside the mainstream-media spotlight, yet their influence is vast, shaping how the next generation thinks about race, gender, government, and truth itself. — Clara Molot, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rabble-rouser
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rabble-rouser
  1. rebel
  2. firebrand
  3. agitator
  4. demagogue
  5. promoter
  6. proponent
  7. provocateur
  8. supporter
Noun
  • The war next door United Nations experts have documented Rwandan military support for M23 rebels, which have seized territory in eastern DRC.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But the rebels also have an array of relatively cheap drones, including weapons supplied by Iran, and locally made copies of Iranian attack drones.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • The ultra-nationalist party is led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right firebrand once deemed too extreme to serve in Israel’s military.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Cruz, a conservative firebrand, is trying to rally the party’s base in a year where Republicans fear many of their voters will stay home.
    — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of firebrand
Noun
  • Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez also cited agitators moving between schools to encourage violence.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Advertisement As protests intensified, state media unleashed a frenzied smear campaign, casting Egyptian protesters as foreign agents and outside agitators.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of demagogue
Noun
  • Last year, the company dipped its toes into the live events world, serving as the promoter for boy group P1Harmony’s tour — the boy group is slated to perform Saturday at 82World.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Before long, a promoter recruited her for his stable of touring female wrestlers.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • One of the leading proponents of an energy-centric view of disease is Martin Picard, a biologist who directs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group at Columbia University.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The No campaign accused measure proponents of misusing the state office.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of proponent
Noun
  • Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Mungiu’s prickly, nonjudgmental studies of human behavior have sometimes led him to be branded as a provocateur.
    — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocateur
Noun
  • Continue reading … DIRTY POLITICS — Antifa supporter charged with stealing GOP campaign signs in NY race to replace Stefanik.
    — , FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Ahead of Frost’s Monday sentencing after his guilty plea to wire fraud, a flood of family members and supporters submitted about 80 letters to the court in a bid for leniency.
    — Kelly Yamanouchi, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of supporter

Browse Nearby Words

rabblement
rabble-rouser
rabble-rousers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rabble-rouser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabble-rouser. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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