as in rebel
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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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
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Well after the first Darfur war had faded from headlines, this duo continued to put down rebel groups throughout the country through brutal methods.
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Finding an off-ramp is increasingly becoming necessary for GOP leadership as House rebels threaten to shut down the floor in the absence of a path forward.
Noun
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Gray is endorsed by Kansas City’s branch of the Democratic Socialists of America, and represents the insurgent left flank of the Democratic Party in the race.
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Out went what was left of country-club Republicanism; in came the Fifth Avenue insurgent and his MAGA hordes.
Noun
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Opportunists like the daycare group, which was selling weapons, and extremists — not the hobbyists.
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Many of these decisions were made so Netanyahu could retain the support of the far-right extremists keeping him in power and avoid a possible jail sentence on corruption charges.
Noun
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Minions & Monsters sees the pint-sized yellow troublemakers in 1920s Hollywood trying to make a creature feature.
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Sirianni hesitates for a moment, like the school troublemaker on the verge of another unpleasant trip to the principal’s office.
Noun
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Some imagery on the shirt, depicting Haitian revolutionaries from the early 1800s, was declared political and therefore not allowed, having fallen foul of FIFA’s often quite stringent rules around kits at World Cups.
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The garments, designed by Stella Jean, a Haitian Italian fashion designer, featured a painting of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, Dessalines’ fellow revolutionary.
Noun
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Adults should receive a tetanus booster every 10 years thereafter.
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This will be the 29th flight for this particular booster, tail number 1078, whose previous experience includes NASA's Crew-6 launch to the International Space Station, a Space Force mission and 23 Starlink launches, among others.
Noun
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As genetics, psychology, and neuroscience ascended, the twentieth century sent physiognomy back into disrepute, and today, from Lavater to Lombroso, its promoters may seem a racist shade of quaint.
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During The Huns’ audition at the Cellar, Nugent was standing next to club owner/promoter Paul Sampson, who was skeptical of the group’s Catholic schoolboy looks — braces, short haircuts and all.
Noun
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Seven Mountains has brought the language of spiritual warfare and demon-fighting into the mainstream of evangelicalism, through a network of pastors who view themselves as prophets and apostles engaged in a battle against evil secular forces.
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Sheiner also appeared as the apostle James the Elder in George Stevens’ The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) and had a meaty turn as Guido Lorenz, cop and partner of Charles Bronson’s Det.
Cite this Entry
“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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