as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the government
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Recent Examples of agitator
Use a front-loading washing machine or a top-loading washing machine without an agitator.
—
Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 22 Apr. 2026
Type Of Machine For a top-loading washing machine, add sheets to the drum one at a time in a loose pile, and distribute them evenly around the agitator or impeller.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026
The Lightning were without Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, two of the main agitators from the first matchup.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.
—Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Katie Cloyd, Martha Stewart, 22 Apr. 2026
Type Of Machine For a top-loading washing machine, add sheets to the drum one at a time in a loose pile, and distribute them evenly around the agitator or impeller.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026
The Lightning were without Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, two of the main agitators from the first matchup.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.
—Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitator
Noun
-
Mali was struck late last month by one of the biggest coordinated attacks on its army in Bamako and several other cities by jihadis and rebels who seized several towns and military bases.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
The rebels were fully aware of these other colonies and sought to include them.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The deciding vote was cast by Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel, who again crossed party lines to side with Republicans and oppose the measure.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
13 May 2026
-
Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, a fierce supporter of the new map, has not yet certified the referendum campaign for the ballot.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Assayas portrays the Russian populace as merely manipulated, as if voters were blank slates for effective propaganda rather than people with moral compasses, capacities for judgment and humanity, ideas and opinions that demagogues recognize and stoke.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
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But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
All hell broke loose at Thursday's press conference when Khamzat Chimaev and firebrand Sean Strickland nearly turned a routine face-off into a street fight.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
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Since arriving on the scene almost a decade ago, the trio have presented themselves as firebrands, ready to stick it to an establishment seeking to strangle the last remnants of 20th century Irish republicanism.—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those business partners were doing that hard piece of convincing managers, agents, and promoters to take the risk — and the promoters finally agreed.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Boxing tempts him, the business world motivates him and his role as a promoter excites him.—
Jorge Ebro
May 6,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The entrenchment of those supply chains may have been underestimated by proponents of nearshoring and onshoring, while the impacts of higher tariffs may have been overestimated.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
-
Despite that distinct lack of a firm commitment to raising new revenues, proponents of finding new revenue sources to replace federal healthcare cuts cheered the Assembly proposal and described it as aligned with the Senate.—
Andrew Graham
May 7,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
McGrath’s work covers artists ranging from indie provocateur Peaches and Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff to Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Soundgarden and Steve Martin, so don’t be surprised to see some of your favorites in there.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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Just a funny parasocial back-and-forth between some of the most passionate fans in sports and one of the best provocateurs the SEC has seen since Steve Spurrier.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Many advanced states understand the need for some kind of violent reaction to terrorists or insurgents, usually as a task for special-operations forces.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
11 May 2026
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Both political insurgents were elected under extraordinary circumstances.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agitator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitator. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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