as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
rabble-rousers inciting hungry people in breadlines to demand social justice
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Recent Examples of rabble-rouser
But the hard-right caucus, typically the House rabble-rousers and thorns in Johnson’s side, are all-in on the rescissions package as vocal supporters of DOGE.
—
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 12 June 2025
The Hause Family Campfire is the traditional Friday night closer of SUH, and this year’s guitar pull featured the Hauses, Sean Bonnette of the group AJJ, Tim McIlrath from hardcore rabble-rousers Rise Against, and newcomer Jon Muq.
—Trip McClatchy, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2025
Teaming up with counterculture rabble-rouser Jerry Rubin, Lennon and Ono speak of peace and love with a naïveté that is both poignant and inspiring.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Every decade in fact seems to have had its own rabble-rouser whose shunning of norms have pushed the medium further and further, even if their own material was too out-there to gain a wide audience.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Senate fiscal hawks are making a steep set of demands in negotiations over the debt ceiling, driving an even harder bargain than the House rabble-rousers who won $2 trillion in cuts.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2025
Back when the group was starting out, Mayor Koch sent the city’s coordinator for criminal justice, Robert Keating, to embed with Sliwa and get a read on this rabble-rouser.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Paul’s ability to maintain his standing in the party despite being among his conference’s rabble-rousers, such as Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ron Johnson (R-WI), is in part thanks to his public willingness to air his grievances.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Mar. 2025
In the week leading up to the 2001 Daytona 500, Hinton was portrayed as a rabble-rouser and a muckraker by NASCAR and its fans.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 12 June 2025
The Hause Family Campfire is the traditional Friday night closer of SUH, and this year’s guitar pull featured the Hauses, Sean Bonnette of the group AJJ, Tim McIlrath from hardcore rabble-rousers Rise Against, and newcomer Jon Muq.
—Trip McClatchy, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2025
Teaming up with counterculture rabble-rouser Jerry Rubin, Lennon and Ono speak of peace and love with a naïveté that is both poignant and inspiring.
—Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Every decade in fact seems to have had its own rabble-rouser whose shunning of norms have pushed the medium further and further, even if their own material was too out-there to gain a wide audience.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 28 Mar. 2025
Senate fiscal hawks are making a steep set of demands in negotiations over the debt ceiling, driving an even harder bargain than the House rabble-rousers who won $2 trillion in cuts.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2025
Back when the group was starting out, Mayor Koch sent the city’s coordinator for criminal justice, Robert Keating, to embed with Sliwa and get a read on this rabble-rouser.
—Kent Russell, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Paul’s ability to maintain his standing in the party despite being among his conference’s rabble-rousers, such as Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ron Johnson (R-WI), is in part thanks to his public willingness to air his grievances.
—Ramsey Touchberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Mar. 2025
In the week leading up to the 2001 Daytona 500, Hinton was portrayed as a rabble-rouser and a muckraker by NASCAR and its fans.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rabble-rouser
Noun
-
Yemen's Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, have continued to launch attacks in the region despite the truce, including previous drone and missile strikes targeting Israel.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
Young-il manages to separate from the group and betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
The United Kingdom sanctioned the two firebrands and imposed travel bans on them.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2025
-
In a national poll in Good Housekeeping, Berg was ranked America’s second most admired woman, bested only by another liberal firebrand, Eleanor Roosevelt.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.—
Jeremy Pressman,
The Conversation,
15 June 2025
-
Tensions continued to escalate throughout the evening as agitators began throwing rocks at officers, and one person spat in an officer's eye, according to police.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
In addition, Happel co-owns the South Broadway rock club HQ with former Live Nation and Soda Jerk Presents promoter Ore.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
-
The organization also brought in medical teams to train 48 people in the community as health workers and health promoters to ensure the availability of basic medical services.—
Diane Cole,
NPR,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
So members of Congress, and President Trump, too, have leverage that demagogues who preceded them could only dream of.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
-
That nearly half of Romanians supported a populist demagogue who questions Romania's commitments to the European Union and NATO is a major crack in Europe's democratic wall.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
The bipartisan bill, which former President Biden signed into law in January, repealed two tax rules that proponents say have unfairly reduced benefits for many Americans who also receive government pensions.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
-
That was the compromise needed to pass the measure, bill proponents said.—
Denise Amos,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Shocks to your sense of emotional security awaken your inner provocateur as Mars and Uranus clash!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
15 June 2025
-
But most Republicans remained silent, or accused Padilla of being a provocateur.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Most days, she was joined by a varied group of supporters—family, friends, parliamentarians, NGO representatives, and advocates from across the globe.—
Margaret Busby
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
-
Lander and Mamdani have cross-endorsed each other, urging their supporters to rank the other second on their ballots.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rabble-rouser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabble-rouser. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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