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."
a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake
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Gibby was the absolute provocateur.—Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025 So instead of making these obvious points to union provocateurs such as Davis Gates, our political leaders treat her with kid gloves.—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025 Hutch is no passive-aggressive provocateur.—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Aug. 2025 There is also Cartman as right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk doing his podcast on the toilet while getting busy.—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for provocateur
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