demagogues

noun

variants also demagogs
plural of demagogue
as in agitators
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 demagogues 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 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 Certainly Arendt, who lived through arguably darker times, did not see them as merely a product of the era’s monstrous demagogues. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Following the outbreak of COVID-19, bias incidents and assaults against Asian Americans soared to alarming heights as demagogues on the streets and in high office inflamed xenophobic fear and animosity. — Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026 Without a robust legitimacy narrative, demagogues fill the vacuum. — Annelise Riles, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demagogues
  1. agitators
  2. rebels
  3. proponents
  4. insurgents
  5. supporters
  6. promoters
  7. firebrands
  8. provocateurs
Noun
  • Some of the speculation comes from state workers who are unhappy with the governor’s decision, the moderator said, but the subreddit’s activity also attracts outside agitators who are obviously not government employees.
    — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
  • Top-load washers with agitators or impellers clean tough fabrics well by physically moving clothes to loosen dirt.
    — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 20 July 2026
Definition of agitators
Noun
  • The 11-year-old Batisa said his parents and two of his brothers were killed in an attack by Congolese rebels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade of the Yemeni government's backer Saudi Arabia -- which has led a coalition that heavily bombed Houthi areas throughout the war.
    — August 18, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebels
Noun
  • Andrew Sweetman, the Scottish marine biogeochemist who led the work, hadn’t made such claims, but he was still pilloried by fellow-scientists, and proponents of mining accused him of being an anti-mining crusader.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The proponents of those ideas believe that spreading them can shift the boundaries of debate — that nothing else will do so in a media environment where conservatives hold enormous power.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of proponents
Noun
  • Continue reading … DEM CIVIL WAR — Left-wing insurgents battle moderates Tuesday in races that could flip the House.
    — , FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan — initially their most important partner — are tense, as Islamabad accuses Kabul of supporting Pakistani insurgents.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgents
Noun
  • As the court met Monday on Yabloko’s appeal, the party’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse and Russian media reported that several dozen people were detained.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That's where authorities broke up confrontations and made some arrests after supporters from both sides clashed.
    — J.D. Miles, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of supporters
Noun
  • Colón’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Ashby and the fight’s promoters for allowing the fight to continue.
    — Matt Moret, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The idea sometimes asserted by promoters that asset protection planning can allow a person to decrease their insurance coverage is false.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of promoters
Noun
  • If the conservative base continues to demand ideological purity, pushing polarizing firebrands into a general election, the result will always be an immediate, lopsided blowout.
    — Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The 2026 midterms are already being shaken up by populist firebrands and antiestablishment outsiders.
    — James Desio, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
Definition of firebrands
Noun
  • The faux outrage was egged on by professional right-wing provocateurs like Robby Starbuck, Benny Johnson and a leading investor in MAGA darling Steak n’ Shake.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs.
    — Anna Marks, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of provocateurs

Browse Nearby Words

demagogue
demagogues
demand
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Cite this Entry

“Demagogues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demagogues. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of demagogues for Spanish Speakers

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