agent provocateur

noun

Definition of agent provocateurnext
as in agitator

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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
  • The attack comes as Colombia’s conservative government changes the nation’s security strategy and takes a more confrontational approach towards gangs and rebel groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The blast comes amid President Abelardo de la Espriella’s tougher security strategy, which includes ending rebel talks and renewing operations against gangs and armed groups.
    — Manuel Rueda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • The Republican reckoning tests a party infrastructure reshaped around the president since his insurgent rise in 2015 transformed the GOP.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Will the Democrats have to contend with left-wing insurgents like Republicans did the Tea Party?
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Much of that money has been used for TV advertisements and mailers portraying Vang as an extremist, highlighting her association with Piker and her refusal to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
    — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Struck by the negative representations of Arabs in the media, Odeh was appointed regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, whose East Coast offices had been targeted by extremists in 1985.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremist
Noun
  • That leaves it in a diagnostic gray zone, not quite a harmless freeloader and not always a troublemaker either.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Netanyahu in the past has attributed the violence to a small number of troublemakers.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of troublemaker
Noun
  • Mao Zedong was a revolutionary who led the Communist Party during its crucial early days, winning a civil war against the ruling Nationalist Party in China, and then founding the modern-day People’s Republic of China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Like his fellow revolutionaries, Jefferson recoiled from such aspects of empire, past and present.
    — Jackson Lears, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • The flight will carry 36 Amazon Leo satellites aboard an Ariane 64, the rocket’s four-booster configuration.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The booster, meanwhile, reoriented for its descent back to Earth.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of booster
Noun
  • The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Why concert tickets keep getting more expensive Artists, promoters, venues, and ticketing platforms all take a cut of each ticket.
    — James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • And now the apostles of effective altruism, with their concern for protecting as many people as possible, are in Thiel’s sights.
    — David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Despite the church’s efforts, male Catholic bishops whose identities have not been publicly revealed later ordained two of the women as bishops with the aim of preserving the line of succession from Jesus’ apostles to present-day bishops.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on agent provocateur

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about agent provocateur

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