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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
Noun
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Mahamat Idriss Déby, 42, seized power in Chad after his father, Idriss Déby, was killed fighting rebels in 2021, before winning elections in 2024.—
Farai Mutsaka,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The group has been responsible for current President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s security and for fighting rebel groups.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Noun
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In 2022, French forces departed Mali as insurgents made incursions into the capital, Bamako.—
Kaitlyn Rabe,
The Conversation,
16 June 2026
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But now the onetime insurgent sits atop a sprawling establishment.—
Jesse Bedayn,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2026
Noun
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More recently, the Department of Justice charged the Southern Poverty Law Center — a civil rights nonprofit accused by Republicans of targeting conservatives in its work tracking extremists — with defrauding donors through payments to informants.—
James Pollard,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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Also on Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel warned that the World Cup matches could be targets for extremists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Sirianni hesitates for a moment, like the school troublemaker on the verge of another unpleasant trip to the principal’s office.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Jodie Whittaker, who portrays Daniel's troublemaker sister Lizzy, has a family of her own off-screen.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
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.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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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.—
Julia Gaffield,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Still, the findings indicate that the vaccines continue to offer cardiovascular protection against COVID-19, which should factor into people’s decisions on whether to get an annual COVID-19 booster.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
-
The South hasn’t had such an enthusiastic booster as Freddy since novelist Pat Conroy died.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Birmingham police confirmed the individual who rented the backyard over the weekend was a promoter.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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As his promoter Hearn confirmed to The Athletic last week, Joshua’s contract states the bout must take place in the UK.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Noun
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The 18 towers represent different figures from scripture including the apostles, evangelists and Virgin Mary while the three facades depict the life of Jesus along with his death and final judgment.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
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The 500-plus-mile (805 km) pilgrimage trail has a 1,000-year history and leads to the tomb of the apostle Saint James at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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