provocateur

noun

pro·​vo·​ca·​teur prō-ˌvä-kə-ˈtər 

1

: agent provocateur

2

: one who provokes

a political provocateur

Did you know?

In "provocateur," a word borrowed directly from French, one sees the English verb "provoke." Both "provoke" and "provocateur" derive from Latin provocare, meaning "to call forth." Why do we say "provocateur" for one who incites another to action, instead of simply "provoker"? Perhaps it's because of "agent provocateur," a term of French origin that literally means "provoking agent." Both "agent provocateur" and the shortened "provocateur" can refer to someone (such as an undercover police officer or a political operative) whose job is to incite people to break the law so that they can be arrested, but only "provocateur" is used in English with the more general sense of "one who provokes."

Synonyms of provocateur

• rebel
• promoter
• agitator
• proponent
• firebrand
• supporter
• demagogue
• protester
• insurgent
• instigator
• advocate
• apostle
• demonstrator
• reformer
• exciter
• rabble-rouser
• inciter

Examples of provocateur in a Sentence

a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake

Recent Examples on the Web

In another, a woman knocks the MAGA cap off of the one provocateur’s head. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026

That’s what lawmakers grappled with Monday when a local conservative provocateur came to testify on an immigration bill wearing brownface and a sombrero and speaking Spanish. —Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

Yet Anti Fund faces pressure to overcome Paul’s provocateur image. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2026

Last month, the right-wing provocateur appeared on Megyn Kelly’s show to discuss his new video series, Real History With Matt Walsh. —Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing provocateur

• agent provocateur

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