as in rebels
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 agitators
Garvey is just one of hundreds of anti-government operatives training agitators to interfere with federal law enforcement.
—
Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Has not the potential of violence been lit up when local law enforcement is nowhere to be found when protesters and agitators descend upon the hotels where ICE is staying?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Republicans have blamed many of those confrontations on Democratic activists and agitators.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
One of the book’s most intriguing characters is Roth, a judge who used racial slurs in private and initially viewed NAACP lawyers as outside agitators.
—John Blake, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Multiple agitators were arrested during the operation.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2025
Many are not students, they are paid agitators.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Has not the potential of violence been lit up when local law enforcement is nowhere to be found when protesters and agitators descend upon the hotels where ICE is staying?
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Republicans have blamed many of those confrontations on Democratic activists and agitators.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
One of the book’s most intriguing characters is Roth, a judge who used racial slurs in private and initially viewed NAACP lawyers as outside agitators.
—John Blake, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Multiple agitators were arrested during the operation.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2025
Many are not students, they are paid agitators.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
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Meanwhile, rebels in 2024 overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad after a yearslong, bloody war in which Iran backed his rule.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Season 2 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians saw Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri) mobilize the rest of the demigods against Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and his ragtag crew of rebels working to resurrect Kronos.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Authorities in the southwestern province are battling one of the deadliest flare-ups in years, as insurgents in the resource-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan step up assaults on security forces, civilians and infrastructure.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Nigeria’s military killed a top Boko Haram commander and 10 insurgents in a night raid in the northeastern state of Borno.—
Dyepkazah Shibayan,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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If dialogue or compromise were to take place, his sacred image would collapse in the eyes of his supporters.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
On the other hand, the court upheld limits on what supporters can contribute directly.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The decline of mainstream Christian voices in recent decades left a vacuum that the most extreme ideologues and provocateurs eagerly filled.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Third parties, which are usually based on fringe views or a sense of grievance, are vehicles for ideologues, provocateurs and contrarians whose appeal is as limited as their problem-solving skills.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
These floor seats are also removable, so that promoters can have open-floor space when needed for concerts or other events.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Independent producers and promoters rent its venues for their performances and events.—
E. Andrew Taylor,
The Conversation,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Critics of phasing out natural gas argue that much of the electricity on the grid comes from natural gas, but proponents say renewable energy is making up a larger share.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University who has written about modern masculinity, has been among the most vocal proponents of the idea that drinking plays a crucial social role in American society.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Without a robust legitimacy narrative, demagogues fill the vacuum.—
Annelise Riles,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
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In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.—
NIC CHEESEMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Federal officials and the president himself were swift to label those killed as instigators.—
Dominik Dausch,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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