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demagogue

noun

ˈde-mə-ˌgäg How to pronounce demagogue (audio)
variants also demagog
Definition of demagoguenext
as in agitator
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent that politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people's fears and prejudices

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 demagogue 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 Leftist demagogues specialize in lose-lose-lose policies. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026 When the populist demagogue Willie Stark orders Burden, journalist turned gumshoe, to dig up dirt on a local judge, Burden demurs; certainly there are no skeletons in the office of the good judge. — Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demagogue
  1. agitator
  2. firebrand
  3. rebel
  4. promoter
  5. proponent
  6. provocateur
  7. insurgent
  8. apostle
Noun
  • The incident came as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescue workers in the process.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Among the agitators were the workers at Sytin’s Moscow publishing house.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • Their manager has not been the firebrand from the University of Tennessee that everyone expected.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The independent, nonpartisan survey by EPIC-MRA of Lansing shows El-Sayed, the former director of Detroit and Wayne County's health departments and progressive firebrand, leading Rogers 47%-43% with 10% undecided.
    — Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of firebrand
Noun
  • The charges stemmed from fighting more than a decade ago between the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels who seized power from then-President François Bozizé, and a mainly Christian militia called the anti-Balaka.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
  • In the south, an array of militias and armed groups arose over the years, ostensibly to back the government against the rebels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Delevingne, who plays Peter’s fellow promoter, became actual friends with Firstman at parties in LA and describes him as her spirit animal.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
  • All shows for the Calvin Harris – Australia Tour 2027 have sold out, say reps promoters Untitled Group, Full Circle, and Live Nation, which are jointly producing the trek.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • For its proponents, a country could not be fully independent while its resources and institutions remained excessively dependent on decisions made elsewhere.
    — Andre Pagliarini, The Conversation, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The committee would reportedly include OMB director and Project 2025 proponent Russell Vought and NIH head Jay Bhattacharya.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of proponent
Noun
  • Linnetz relishes in his identity as a provocateur, a detail about him which has, in fact, produced more viral moments in five years than most people have in their entire career as a designer.
    — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • As social media evolved, Kiffin innovated, without regret, as the sport’s biggest poster and provocateur.
    — Matt Baker, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of provocateur
Noun
  • The latest operation came just over a week after Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ruled out negotiations with insurgents and said security operations would continue until militancy was eliminated from the province.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds joined the insurgents that day, and their numbers soon swelled into the thousands.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Every night, after Jesus died on the cross, my apostles gently helped me down from the chain-link fence to which I had been lashed.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Bethsaida, close to Jesus' ministry in Capernaum, was once the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of apostle

Browse Nearby Words

demagogic
demagogue
demagogues
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Cite this Entry

“Demagogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demagogue. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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