as in rebel
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Recent Examples of agent provocateur
There is the buffer, the confidante, the agent provocateur.
—
George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 July 2025
But De Niro’s attempt at playing agent provocateur stumbled badly: His decision to stand outside the New York Trump trial cost the actor his credibility.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 June 2024
Members of the crowd accused Epps of being an agent provocateur, which later helped spur the conspiracy theories about him.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024
The Globoplay Original, produced by the company’s journalism arm, examines the lives of those adjacent to the faction through interviews with the contingents’ defenders, defectors, sociologists and an agent provocateur that develops carefully-orchestrated chaos.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2023
Anyone who maligns the sultan is immediately thought to be an agent provocateur working for the sultan, and probably is.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2022
The last dispatch from the alien/agent provocateur known as Greg Tate beamed out from perhaps his most inconspicuous dwelling.
—Tirhakah Love, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021
At the same time, agents provocateurs played a significant role in the turbulence.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
George Caulkin, New York Times, 7 July 2025
But De Niro’s attempt at playing agent provocateur stumbled badly: His decision to stand outside the New York Trump trial cost the actor his credibility.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 June 2024
Members of the crowd accused Epps of being an agent provocateur, which later helped spur the conspiracy theories about him.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024
The Globoplay Original, produced by the company’s journalism arm, examines the lives of those adjacent to the faction through interviews with the contingents’ defenders, defectors, sociologists and an agent provocateur that develops carefully-orchestrated chaos.
—Holly Jones, Variety, 20 Mar. 2023
Anyone who maligns the sultan is immediately thought to be an agent provocateur working for the sultan, and probably is.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2022
The last dispatch from the alien/agent provocateur known as Greg Tate beamed out from perhaps his most inconspicuous dwelling.
—Tirhakah Love, Vulture, 14 Dec. 2021
At the same time, agents provocateurs played a significant role in the turbulence.
—Adam Hochschild, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
-
The New York Times in 2015 reported that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries had been sent to Yemen to fight against the Houthi rebels, hired directly — and in secret — by the UAE.—
Rebecca Johns,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Tapping into your inner rebel as of late, Sagittarius?—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This might enable a mission which, for example, a Viper is located covertly next to a safe house known to be used by insurgents.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
As the occupation wore on, the Iraqis became proficient at building roadside bombs in basements, garages, and other insurgent test kitchens spread across Baghdad and Anbar.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Middle Belt and northern states are especially volatile, with Islamic militant groups like Boko Haram, Fulani extremists and ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) targeting Christian communities through mass killings, kidnappings and church burnings.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Only the liberals and the extremists do that.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In a recent study published in Nature Aging, researchers at UC San Francisco sought to identify the molecular troublemakers that cause our brains to age prematurely.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Her Ashley is the movie’s fourth and fifth wheel, dismissed as both a perfidious troublemaker and a New Age airhead—a life coach in need of a wife coach.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The film was One Battle After Another, Anderson’s high-octane adaptation of Vineland, Thomas Pynchon’s anarchic 1990 novel about a crew of former leftist revolutionaries — the French 75 — living in a slightly more dystopian version of present-day America.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The plot centers around a former revolutionary who must reunite with old associates to find his missing daughter.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Side hustles are more than income boosters.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, the Pro-Collagen Shot is like a handheld aesthetic booster, giving collagen-deficit eyes an instant and long-lasting lift.—
Essence,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For instance, when the Martins were broke, before Christy gained the attention of legendary boxing promoter Don King, Jim, played on screen in a terrifying performance by Ben Foster, would take her to motel rooms to spar with men who would pay for the opportunity.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Geiers are widely viewed with contempt as promoters of unsubstantiated claims that vaccines cause autism.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
For Byrne, an apostle of euphoria, all this giddiness seems fitting.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The 9th-century monastery rises from the plateau—its stone walls etched with faded medieval frescoes of apostles and Last Judgement scenes.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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