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
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
Christian women wishing to reunite their families without calling for Hitler’s demise, or the release of all Jews, were harder for the regime to portray as political enemies or criminal agitators.
—Danielle Wirsansky, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
Both largely blamed outside agitators, noting that conservative influencers urged people to attend the meeting and several of the speakers came from surrounding towns.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
This, in my view, would have kept these agitators away from ICE agents, and almost certainly would have prevented both deaths.
—Michael Zais, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Training often involves role-players who pretend to be protesters or even agitators.
—Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
Homan defended the work of ICE and Border Patrol, pointing to a decrease in agitators and cooperation from local officials as helping the administration reach success.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
First, there is the growing volume of anti-Wikipedia sentiment from right-wing agitators.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Christian women wishing to reunite their families without calling for Hitler’s demise, or the release of all Jews, were harder for the regime to portray as political enemies or criminal agitators.
—Danielle Wirsansky, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
Both largely blamed outside agitators, noting that conservative influencers urged people to attend the meeting and several of the speakers came from surrounding towns.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
This, in my view, would have kept these agitators away from ICE agents, and almost certainly would have prevented both deaths.
—Michael Zais, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Feb. 2026
Training often involves role-players who pretend to be protesters or even agitators.
—Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
Homan defended the work of ICE and Border Patrol, pointing to a decrease in agitators and cooperation from local officials as helping the administration reach success.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026
First, there is the growing volume of anti-Wikipedia sentiment from right-wing agitators.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
-
Eastern Congo has experienced some of its worst violence in years, with M23 rebels seizing large parts of North Kivu and advancing toward the regional capital, Goma, disrupting road links and border crossings.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Border tensions fueling Congo’s crisis President Félix Tshisekedi’s major challenge is the armed conflict in eastern Congo, where the largest city, Goma, has been controlled by rebels since January 2025.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, insurgents led by now-interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marched to Damascus and removed Assad from power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
While serving a tour of duty outside the province of Kandahar in Afghanistan in August of 2011, he was ambushed by Taliban insurgents disguised in Afghan National Army uniforms.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The area was gridlocked with traffic, with people coming back to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming on scooters, waving the group’s flag.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Thanks to supporters like you, the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center continues to offer engaging classes, meaningful programs, and a welcoming place to connect all while caring for our historic property.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The character of McCrum’s images is also quite different than that of the ones in the fictional Brainrot, whose sleek, sensual images recall the highly polished work of provocateurs like Torbjørn Rødland and Heji Shin.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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Lost in all the heated rhetoric is the fact that so much of this turmoil would have been avoided if federal detainers were simply honored within local jails and state prisons — away from the public and professional provocateurs who are drawn to uncivil cultural conflict like bees to honey.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Live Nation could have to set limits on its exclusive ticketing contracts and fees, and open some of its venues to rival promoters — along with fees.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Or independent venue owners or promoters?—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Even the most ardent proponents of AI are concerned.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The proponents of this measure have even admitted unabashedly that this is part of a national effort to divide Coloradoans and drive turnout in the midterm elections.—
Mike Smith,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Leftist demagogues specialize in lose-lose-lose policies.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Certainly Arendt, who lived through arguably darker times, did not see them as merely a product of the era’s monstrous demagogues.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
All of that would be intriguing even if the founders of Deep Voodoo weren’t South Park instigators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Mar. 2026
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In 2001, the United States and its allies stormed into Afghanistan, aiming to destroy the Taliban and round up the instigators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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