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 In recent years, totalizing ideologies such as communism, fascism, and Islamism have found dedicated audiences on social media, and the proliferation of demagogues manipulating people for malign ends is an ever-present worry. — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 And as Netanyahu’s coalitions hardened Schleien’s programs became edgier, skewering Netanyahu sycophants in the Likud Party, anti-élitist demagogues, cultic settlers, and rabbinic mandarins. — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026 The Constitution was crafted out of fear — fear of concentrated power, factional dominance, corruption, demagogues, unchecked executives, and the use of public office for personal gain. — Paul Oestreicher, Hartford Courant, 10 June 2026 But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy. — Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 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
  • Tusk and his government have characterized their conservative opposition as buoyed by foreign agitators, particularly Russian interference.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • The Republican losses indiscriminately wiped out GOP firebrands, moderates and veteran conservatives nationwide.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Some have complained that Becerra is an unworthy, boring torchbearer for Latinos — not dynamic enough to meet a moment where many hoped for a firebrand.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of firebrand
Noun
  • Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected similar Sudanese accusations in a May 5 statement, calling them baseless, and accused Sudan of supporting rebels in its northern Tigray region.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In Colombia’s rural Guaviare region, poor ranchers eke out a living in obscurity, surrounded by armed rebels who traffic cocaine.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Sheeran argued that the decision to remove Macklemore as an opener, backed by the venues and promoters, came down to not wanting to disappoint fans or impact the other people working on the tour by cancelling.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Bryson DeChambeau, perhaps the most ardent promoter of LIV among current major championship contenders, faces an uncertain future after the dissolution of the league.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • There is perhaps no greater proponent of the statement coat than Jennifer Lawrence.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026
  • On the other hand, proponents might argue that reliably identifying individuals at risk of committing serious crimes could benefit society.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of proponent
Noun
  • Unsurprisingly given Greaves’ role as a provocateur, Dead Deities is a political project as much as an artistic one.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Mitchell went even further, one-upping the right-wing provocateur.
    — Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocateur
Noun
  • From Georgia, South Carolina and Texas in the South to Ohio, Kansas and Iowa in the Midwest, insurgent Democrats not only won but did so with significant margins -- with notable shifts in key demographic groups and voting blocs.
    — Elizabeth Schreier, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Kiros' primary win was part of a wave of leftwing insurgent victories in the spring and summer that kindled the Democratic Party's fight over the direction of the party.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • And now the apostles of effective altruism, with their concern for protecting as many people as possible, are in Thiel’s sights.
    — David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Despite the church’s efforts, male Catholic bishops whose identities have not been publicly revealed later ordained two of the women as bishops with the aim of preserving the line of succession from Jesus’ apostles to present-day bishops.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 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 9 Nov. 2026.

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