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
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
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
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
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
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
Clara Molot, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
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
-
The rebels, led by Deepak Rauniyar and Binod Paudel, fired off a scathing letter to the Academy demanding a full investigation and threatening to blow up Nepal’s Oscar dreams entirely.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Sep. 2025
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Directed by the iconic Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another stars DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a vigilante and former rebel who is on the run from Penn's Officer Steven Lockjaw.—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The clearest firebrand of the group is Suzanne (Mia Barron), whose patronizing politeness will eventually give way to rage once her views are challenged.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Sep. 2025
-
That includes collaborations in-the-round with Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff and DeVotchKa, as well as indie firebrands The Flaming Lips, in addition to standard orchestral fare and familiar classical-crossover acts such as Andrea Bocelli and Lindsey Stirling.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Country music’s premier agitator, Gavin Adcock, is also on the lineup.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
-
But while that may serve Natthaphong’s interests to appear as the chief agitator for reform, losing his military foil could conversely prove problematic.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The clearest example of this is Live Nation, the largest concert promoter on the planet, which is betting biggest on Latin America.—
Alex Ashley,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
-
The conventional wisdom, shared by event promoters and many at the university, held that the 1920s-era facility just wasn’t equipped for the demands of a big concert production.—
Brian McCollum,
Freep.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
America seems unlikely to be made great again by the demagogues of white nationalism, who cannot help but channel fury over irreversible decline at those who have been working hard, through either literal or spiritual immigration, to become American.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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Our shrinking attention span has left us vulnerable to demagogues and misinformation from every direction.—
Doug McIntyre,
Oc Register,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Eide and other proponents of expanding hospitalization believe the administration could do even more.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Closure of the bike path to undertake this project has drawn opposition from cycling proponents and West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
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But former friends have reportedly said Jahn was not overtly political, describing him instead as an online provocateur who said things for shock value.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has to approve many of those mergers—and Trump stacked the FCC with his supporters.—
Lizz Winstead,
Time,
27 Sep. 2025
-
Kneeling was widely used by protesters and supporters after Floyd’s death to signal sympathy with the Black Lives Matter movement and a call for racial justice.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rabble-rouser.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabble-rouser. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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