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
And while some have crossed the line from peaceful protesters to violent agitators, violence already has ample legal remedies under state and federal law.
—
Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
The Boston Police Department said that agitators directly assaulted officers during the riot.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
The cases range from political agitators seeking to intimidate immigrants to others using the guise of authority to allegedly kidnap, rob or assault victims.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Leading Arab agitators, Husseini among them, fomented anti-Jewish violence, hoping to sway British opinion away from creating a Jewish state.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Some agitators—likely external infiltrators—pushed the protesters forward, tearing down barricades as chants intensified.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The Sweet family defended themselves by firing shots and killing one of the agitators, which led to a murder trial.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2025
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
Jason M. Blazakis, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
The Boston Police Department said that agitators directly assaulted officers during the riot.
—Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
The cases range from political agitators seeking to intimidate immigrants to others using the guise of authority to allegedly kidnap, rob or assault victims.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Leading Arab agitators, Husseini among them, fomented anti-Jewish violence, hoping to sway British opinion away from creating a Jewish state.
—Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
Some agitators—likely external infiltrators—pushed the protesters forward, tearing down barricades as chants intensified.
—Sonal Nain, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The Sweet family defended themselves by firing shots and killing one of the agitators, which led to a murder trial.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 14 Aug. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
-
Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the de facto head of state, acknowledged the rebels’ capture of El Fasher.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Romans were masters at using rewards and punishment to manage foreign states, from grants of citizenship to massacres of rebels.—
Barry Strauss,
Time,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has successfully recruited prized political heavyweights in key battlegrounds, but left-wing insurgents are threatening to dash his plans to create a competitive midterm map for Democrats.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The best challenger brands think like cultural insurgents.—
Erik Huberman,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s aggressive second-term agenda has thrilled his supporters, but Democrats are hoping many voters see it as overreach.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Up in a second-deck corner of the GEODIS Park, in Section 233, a group of about 60 spirited Inter Miami La Familia supporters chanted and jumped up and down as Messi and his teammates took the field.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Dynevor, meanwhile, finds texture in a villainous role that rightly reminds us how petty personal grievances (on campus, no less) may well be the driving force behind the most outspoken political provocateurs.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
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By focusing so much on the Jewish people and the Jewish state, these provocateurs have a much broader goal in mind than merely ostracizing America's small Jewish minority.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Volunteering opportunities across each of these platforms are as vast and varied as any other form of travel, from hostels seeking receptionists, cleaners and party promoters, to surf schools in need of teachers, to local families looking for childcare workers.—
Georgiana Ralphs,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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Drake and Ross have been high-profile promoters of Stake, receiving millions from the company to engage in livestream gambling promoting the platform.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And although the state Legislature has allocated funds for water assistance in the past, proponents for the new package say creating a long-term, permanent fund will provide Michigan households and communities with a sustainable way to ensure the tap stays on and water bills are paid.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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This was a momentous development for child-care proponents such as myself, who have long argued that wide-reaching free programs are crucial for parents and for a healthy democracy.—
Elliot Haspel,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In fact, the term itself was an epithet throughout the founding era, a way to describe ignorant and easily deceived popular majorities, perpetually vulnerable to demagogues.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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America seems unlikely to be made great again by the demagogues of white nationalism, who cannot help but channel fury over irreversible decline at those who have been working hard, through either literal or spiritual immigration, to become American.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The team found that artificial sweetener Stevia, as well as compounds released by our own gut cells, were the main instigators in activating these gut phages.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
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Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought – while omitting the name of outside instigators – implies the culpability of that state.—
Esther Brito Ruiz,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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