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
One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
Listen to this article Charges have been dropped against a police agitator accused of trying to break into an NYPD officer’s Brooklyn home after prosecutors reviewed video of a protest outside the cop’s house.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Once the agitators calmed down, the acting president was able to get through her final points.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
The condemnations run the gamut: accusations of antisemitism; accusations of outsider agitators; accusations charging the moral emptiness of the listless radical chic.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
Listen to this article Charges have been dropped against a police agitator accused of trying to break into an NYPD officer’s Brooklyn home after prosecutors reviewed video of a protest outside the cop’s house.
—Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Once the agitators calmed down, the acting president was able to get through her final points.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025
The condemnations run the gamut: accusations of antisemitism; accusations of outsider agitators; accusations charging the moral emptiness of the listless radical chic.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitator
Noun
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Iran has also for years militarily and financially supported regional militia groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza, that have pressured or attacked Israel on multiple fronts.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Worried about Michilimackinac’s vulnerability to attacks by American rebels, the British relocated the fort to the high bluffs of Mackinac Island in 1780 and shortened its name.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Celta agreed to the deal despite criticism from supporters over the sale of an academy graduate who had been seen as heir apparent to Iago Aspas, 37-year-old forward who has spent a decade and a half with the club across two spells.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Most days, she was joined by a varied group of supporters—family, friends, parliamentarians, NGO representatives, and advocates from across the globe.—
Margaret Busby
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
Noun
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So members of Congress, and President Trump, too, have leverage that demagogues who preceded them could only dream of.—
Jelani Cobb,
New Yorker,
25 May 2025
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That nearly half of Romanians supported a populist demagogue who questions Romania's commitments to the European Union and NATO is a major crack in Europe's democratic wall.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The United Kingdom sanctioned the two firebrands and imposed travel bans on them.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2025
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In a national poll in Good Housekeeping, Berg was ranked America’s second most admired woman, bested only by another liberal firebrand, Eleanor Roosevelt.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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The organization also brought in medical teams to train 48 people in the community as health workers and health promoters to ensure the availability of basic medical services.—
Diane Cole,
NPR,
19 June 2025
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In addition, Happel co-owns the South Broadway rock club HQ with former Live Nation and Soda Jerk Presents promoter Ore.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
Noun
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That was the compromise needed to pass the measure, bill proponents said.—
Denise Amos,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025
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The bipartisan bill, which former President Biden signed into law in January, repealed two tax rules that proponents say have unfairly reduced benefits for many Americans who also receive government pensions.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Of all the larger-than-life agitators and provocateurs to come out of Flint, Michigan, in the past few years, he’s become one of the best rappers of the bunch.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 June 2025
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Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur and conspiracy theorist, saw an opportunity to position herself as the voice of reason.—
Chris Megerian,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Authorities have also reported sightings of ELN guerrillas, a Colombian-Venezuelan insurgent faction, operating near key Guyanese border towns.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 June 2025
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Spain approved the deal on Oct. 3, 2023, four days before an insurgent assault led by Hamas on southern Israel that sparked a devastating war in Gaza.—
Brittany Williams,
Arkansas Online,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitator. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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