agent provocateur

noun

Definition of agent provocateurnext
as in rebel

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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
  • Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former rebel commander who has served as Syria’s President since 2025, has been outward looking since taking power.
    — Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Dozens of rebel and militia groups operate across eastern Congo.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2014.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The site aspired to bring an insurgent, punk ethos to the political world.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • When Israeli extremists arrived in Qusra to force Palestinians from their homes, residents hoped the Israel Defense Forces would come to their aid.
    — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Extremists can win blue states, but presidential elections and congressional control are decided in purple states, and America will not elect extremists and socialists.
    — Andrew Cuomo, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremist
Noun
  • In fact, in the early days of Trumpism’s rise the South Carolina Senator attempted to block it from taking hold of a party that, just eight years earlier, had once been helmed by Graham’s best friend and fellow Senate troublemaker John McCain.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 28 July 2026
  • In the movie, Broderick played Ferris, a teenage troublemaker who breaks the rules — and the fourth wall.
    — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026
Definition of troublemaker
Noun
  • To make matters worse, ten days later, revolutionaries stormed the Bastille.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Meyers turns out to be a rich kid with a fancy apartment, someone who can afford to play the artistic revolutionary—which doesn’t negate, and may indeed validate, his love for art.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • This has become the country’s key launch vehicle with the Proton booster aging out, and the newer Angara rockets being so slow to reach a decent launch cadence.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Stopping power comes from 410-mm front and 360-mm rear carbon-ceramic brakes, with a brake booster tuned to provide a firm pedal and precise modulation.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of booster
Noun
  • The idea sometimes asserted by promoters that asset protection planning can allow a person to decrease their insurance coverage is false.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Those recommendations can expose investors to steep losses, particularly when promoters use their audiences to inflate a token's price before selling their own holdings, a practice commonly known as a pump-and-dump scheme.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • In his first letter to the Corinthians in the New Testament, the apostle Paul describes bringing together members of the early Christian community across economic divides to share everything in common.
    — Shoshi Parks, Popular Science, 30 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of apostle

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Cite this Entry

“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on agent provocateur

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about agent provocateur

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