as in rebel
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Recent Examples of agent provocateur
And for good reason; Villanueva spent his four years in office more as an agent provocateur than a public safety official.
—
The Editorial Board, Daily News, 13 May 2026
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
The Editorial Board, Daily News, 13 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
-
Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The rebels have reported two cases.—
Jean-Yves Kamale,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
In recent weeks, the race for Los Angeles mayor has been dominated by reality star Spencer Pratt, who, following an expectation-exceeding debate performance, has risen in the polls with an insurgent campaign specializing in producing or promoting brash and direct online videos.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
Traders on prediction market platform Kalshi think the incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and insurgent former reality TV star Spencer Pratt are most likely to advance to the second round.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
And when Khomeini broke that promise, my father was one of the first to stand up to him and the extremists who hijacked that revolution.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
2 June 2026
-
Republicans have sought to cast him as an effete extremist.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, younger brother Sam begins to suspect that Michael's new friends are not merely troublemakers, but vampires.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Retaliation can include being assigned to a station far from home, passed up for promotions or labeled a troublemaker.—
Alene Tchekmedyian,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Not helping was Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act in 1773, to which revolutionaries responded by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Not helping was Parliament's passage of the Tea Act in 1773, to which revolutionaries responded by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
After launch, the glide vehicle separates from its booster and races toward its target at hypersonic speed while maneuvering along the way.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
31 May 2026
-
Then there was the first powered landing of an orbital rocket first-stage booster in 2015.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Nio signed on several brand promoters, including Robin Zeng, the CEO of CATL, the industry's battery giant, who affirmed in a marketing video that about 2,000 of his employees had bought Nio cars.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
-
Fight Night is a local promotion led by Melendez – a former San Francisco State wrestler – and longtime MMA promoter Scott Coker.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
This idea was the work of the apostles and prophets of the New Apostolic Reformation, a charismatic movement that began gathering momentum in the 1990s and is now the leading edge of the Christian right.—
Stephanie McCrummen,
The Atlantic,
18 May 2026
-
The New Testament does contain positive depictions of Pharisees — Levine points to Nicodemus, who defended Jesus and helped bury him, and Gamaliel, who advocated for the apostles Peter and John.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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