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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Curtis and Kirk were indeed to be found on opposite ends of virtually every hot-button cultural issue on which the latter made his name as a debater and provocateur.—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025 Dynevor, meanwhile, finds texture in a villainous role that rightly reminds us how petty personal grievances (on campus, no less) may well be the driving force behind the most outspoken political provocateurs.—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025 Maybe Lanthimos is just in step with his moment — a madman provocateur for an increasingly mad world.—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025 Loomer—a provocateur and media figure with influence over Trump—is notorious for picking intra-party fights.—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for provocateur
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