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
Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country's conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally.
—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
4 July 2026
White attributed most of the hateful comments to online agitators rather than true WNBA or Indiana Fever fans.
—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
The majority of speakers at Tuesday’s board meeting urged the board not to allow online agitators to dictate personnel decisions.
—
Ciara McCarthy 24,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
In recent years, agitators have fueled anti-immigration street violence following crimes committed by, or falsely reported to have been committed by, immigrants.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Over the past decade, Osees have reinvented themselves as prog-metal warriors, hardcore agitators, and synth-punk freaks, investing each new permutation with the same degree of blitzkrieg aggression.
—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
18 June 2026
In January, a DHS official sent a memo to some federal immigration agents temporarily assigned to Minneapolis instructing them to collect personal information about protesters and agitators, including license plates, identifications and images, according to CNN reporting.
—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
10 June 2026
Racial divisions around the case have propelled it to the national forefront, drawing the attention of both right-wing agitators and civil rights organizations.
—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
The governor continued her call for peaceful demonstrations and urged outside agitators to stay home.
—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
4 July 2026
White attributed most of the hateful comments to online agitators rather than true WNBA or Indiana Fever fans.
—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
The majority of speakers at Tuesday’s board meeting urged the board not to allow online agitators to dictate personnel decisions.
—
Ciara McCarthy 24,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 June 2026
In recent years, agitators have fueled anti-immigration street violence following crimes committed by, or falsely reported to have been committed by, immigrants.
—
ABC News,
23 June 2026
Over the past decade, Osees have reinvented themselves as prog-metal warriors, hardcore agitators, and synth-punk freaks, investing each new permutation with the same degree of blitzkrieg aggression.
—
Stuart Berman,
Pitchfork,
18 June 2026
In January, a DHS official sent a memo to some federal immigration agents temporarily assigned to Minneapolis instructing them to collect personal information about protesters and agitators, including license plates, identifications and images, according to CNN reporting.
—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
10 June 2026
Racial divisions around the case have propelled it to the national forefront, drawing the attention of both right-wing agitators and civil rights organizations.
—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
The governor continued her call for peaceful demonstrations and urged outside agitators to stay home.
—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
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And the old person who rebels is ridiculous.
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There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Noun
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Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen clashes between security forces, insurgents and drug smugglers.
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Nine American soldiers died and 27 others were injured while fighting a battle against 200 Taliban insurgents in the village of Wanat in Afghanistan’s Waygal Valley.
Noun
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The event is open to #LatinaGeeks members, allies and supporters.
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Duplass Brothers Productions is one of the original supporters of the fund, which was created to support micro-budget feature filmmaking by transgender creators.
Noun
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Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs.
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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.
Noun
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As genetics, psychology, and neuroscience ascended, the twentieth century sent physiognomy back into disrepute, and today, from Lavater to Lombroso, its promoters may seem a racist shade of quaint.
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The biggest issue is the promoters that, for lack of a better word, don’t really understand what their job is, who are perpetuating the issue by rewarding the young men and women that are going out of their way to do these crazy things – jumping off of balconies, crazy moves every match.
Noun
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Stream-access proponents took a similar approach in 2010, after a landowner on the Taylor River strung cables from bank to bank to keep a rafting company from floating down.
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Many proponents believe that access to affordable models will act as a leveler, allowing smaller enterprises to innovate, test, and gain insights in ways previously that were previously much more challenging.
Noun
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But those standards can be easily stretched by demagogues, and a simple majority on the committee is enough to ban a party, though a panel of nine Supreme Court justices can overturn the decision on appeal.
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But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.
Noun
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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra at the time downplayed the confrontation, with the Heat routinely making peace after acquiring former Heat instigators.
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The parents, arguably the film’s first instigators, operate based off fear of their children’s sexuality.
Cite this Entry
“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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