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

Once, his Julian Sklar was the bisexual provocateur of the London art scene commanding millions for a single piece. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026

Among the last correspondence Epstein had about the Middle East is a chat with far-right provocateur Steve Bannon in June 2019. —Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026

Shell’s fight with Cipriani, a notorious provocateur, may have been the proximate cause for his undoing. —Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026

Hans was a provocateur, not a prodigy—and certainly not a threat. —Ben Mezrich, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing provocateur

• agent provocateur

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