agent provocateur

noun

Definition of agent provocateurnext
as in rebel

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agent provocateur The Italian Marco Materazzi was an agent provocateur, tossing out words about Zidane’s family like a grenade set to spew forth a red mist. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026 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 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
  1. rebel
  2. insurgent
  3. extremist
  4. troublemaker
  5. revolutionary
  6. booster
  7. promoter
  8. apostle
Noun
  • The rebels, meanwhile, saw a golden opportunity to reopen an airspace long shut by Saudi Arabia.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The group is led by Iyad Ag Ghaly, a veteran of the Tuareg rebel group and a former Malian diplomat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • The attack occurred in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province where separatist insurgents have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • One of the insurgents, a doctoral student in sociology named Darializa Avila Chevalier, is far more emblematic of the DSA’s radicalism.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • The following day, the state added him to its official register of terrorists and extremists, a designation that obliges Russian banks to freeze his assets.
    — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • The song debuted in 1995, at a Voters for Choice benefit concert hosted by Gloria Steinem, after an antiabortion extremist murdered two women at a Planned Parenthood and another family-planning clinic in Massachusetts.
    — Claire Howorth, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026
Definition of extremist
Noun
  • In the movie, Broderick played Ferris, a teenage troublemaker who breaks the rules — and the fourth wall.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
  • Based on the true story of a reform school where Black boys went missing, the novel pairs the stories of two teens, one a troublemaker and the other caught up by mistake.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of troublemaker
Noun
  • Trump is starving the machine that creates America's socialist revolutionaries.
    — , FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
  • The monarchy was overthrown in the February Revolution of 1917, and the tsar and his family became prisoners of the revolutionaries.
    — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • New York Yankees president Randy Levine and Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell have been helping lead the charge from the committee's standpoint.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • ArianeGroup has completed a wet dress rehearsal of the Themis reusable booster demonstrator at the Esrange Space Centre in Sweden, European Spaceflight reports.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of booster
Noun
  • But this is a site that’s been fined for deceptive pricing and is not beloved by those who use it, with low customer net-promoter scores.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 27 July 2026
  • Joshua was discharged from hospital after two days but earlier this week his promoter Eddie Hearn told the BBC that in the early stages of his recovery, just a slight movement in bed would be excruciating pain for the boxer.
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • Camino de Santiago blends history, spirituality and scenery on the route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the resting place of the apostle Saint James.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
  • The Camino de Santiago in Spain Blending history, spirituality and scenery, the Camino de Santiago leads to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, said to be the resting place of the apostle Saint James.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026
Definition of apostle

Browse Nearby Words

agent
agent provocateur
agents
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on agent provocateur

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about agent provocateur

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All