as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agitators
Instead of removing the anti-free speech agitators, UNLV police escorted Peer off campus.
—
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Anti-Israel agitators clashed with law enforcement outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday night as pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags nearby.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Birdbaths that have small fountains or agitators also keep the water rippling.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
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
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Anti-Israel agitators clashed with law enforcement outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday night as pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags nearby.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2026
Birdbaths that have small fountains or agitators also keep the water rippling.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
Noun
-
Mali was struck late last month by one of the biggest coordinated attacks on its army in Bamako and several other cities by jihadis and rebels who seized several towns and military bases.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
The rebels were fully aware of these other colonies and sought to include them.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The misery wrought by insurgents in largely ungoverned spaces will push people to flee.—
Ulf Laessing,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Tribune correspondents Ronald Yates — who was one of the last American journalists to leave Phnom Penh when the Cambodian capital fell to insurgents just weeks earlier — and Philip Caputo lost contact with the newspaper in South Vietnam just before Saigon was overtaken by communist North Vietnam.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Newsom and other supporters have said the tunnel would protect the state’s water system as climate change intensifies severe droughts and deluges.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
And supporters are left to fill the silence with speculation, chants and, now, airborne protest banners.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Alliances with independents and provocateurs can bring younger crowds to the traditional news fold in an era when such viewership is not guaranteed.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
-
For 15 years as a member of French psych pop provocateurs La Femme, Magnée and band members were walking billboards for retro chic fashion.—
Selena Fragassi,
SPIN,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those business partners were doing that hard piece of convincing managers, agents, and promoters to take the risk — and the promoters finally agreed.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
There were promoters willing to put nights on.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Per Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, the six billionaires who have already fled the state took with them nearly 30% of the wealth proponents expected to tax, which alone means the measure will only raise $40 billion of the $100 billion initially forecasted.—
Douglas Schoen,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
Some proponents of adding Arabic language instruction say the curriculum would help cultivate a sense of inclusion, identity and belonging for students of Arab descent in the district.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.—
Alma Hernandez,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
-
Does the rise of right-wing demagogues offer chilling parallels to the Pinochet era?—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
22 Apr. 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
-
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 12 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
