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
Over a dozen agitators showed up to disrupt Sunday’s rally along Capitol Boulevard.
—
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
-
Young Ofelia and her pregnant mother have been brought to live in the countryside, where her brutal stepfather Captain Vidal’s job is to wipe out the remaining rebels camped in the local forest.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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The apparent killing – captured on video shared online by the rebels themselves – took place at a university medical school in El Fasher in Sudan’s western Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over the city on Sunday.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Yet those soldiers and sailors had to stretch across a vast global canvas, leaving fewer than three in ten of them to try to rout the insurgents in North America.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Subsequent reporting showed how Maduro loyalists infiltrated the training camps of the would-be liberators and betrayed their cause, leading to the execution of six leaders and capture of dozens of insurgents.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Just hearing ‘set piece’ sends a shiver down Liverpool supporters’ spines.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Selfless Love Foundation is able to offer this National Think Tank at no cost, including scholarships to cover youth’s travel and accommodations.—
Dana Perino,
FOXNews.com,
9 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
-
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
-
The Bigger Picture The industry will continue to evolve, and platforms, labels and promoters will remain important partners.—
Geoff Robins,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Early on, Chesney made long journeys on the road to play half-empty venues and dealt with promoters mixing up his name with country singer Mark Chesnutt, calling him Kenny Chesnutt or Mark Chesney, hoping the mistake would drawn in Chesnutt fans.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Short-term rentals have been a hot-button issue for Nantucket, with supporters of tighter limits arguing that wealthy tourists are gobbling up all the housing options for workers and proponents of a more lax policy highlighting how important visitors are to the island’s economy.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The nascent market is currently led by the likes of Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, and proponents say the technology can ease air traffic congestion.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 18 Nov. 2025.
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