as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts
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 firebrand
The Democrat defeated incumbent Republican Tony Peraica, a firebrand who had run unsuccessfully for Cook County Board president four years earlier.
—
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
Chile’s rightward turn follows a similar shift in neighboring Argentina, which elected libertarian firebrand Javier Milei on a platform of radical economic reform and political disruption.
—Morgan Phillips, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
On Sunday, journalist Lesley Stahl sat down with right-wing firebrand and recent congressional defector Marjorie Taylor Greene for a 60 Minutes interview that has already racked up nearly 1 million views on YouTube.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firebrand
Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
Chile’s rightward turn follows a similar shift in neighboring Argentina, which elected libertarian firebrand Javier Milei on a platform of radical economic reform and political disruption.
—Morgan Phillips, FOXNews.com, 15 Dec. 2025
On Sunday, journalist Lesley Stahl sat down with right-wing firebrand and recent congressional defector Marjorie Taylor Greene for a 60 Minutes interview that has already racked up nearly 1 million views on YouTube.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Dec. 2025
Perverts By turns a budding chart sensation, a political firebrand, and an enthusiastic cataloguer of cryptids, Ethel Cain interrupts a stream of gossamer pop, folk, and rock records with Perverts, a droning rejection of the accessibility of her 2022 Billboard top-ten debut Preacher’s Daughter.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firebrand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrand
Noun
-
The London punk rebels seized the revolutionary spirit of 1977 with their raw manifesto The Clash, then refined their sound with the flawed Give ‘Em Enough Rope.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Meanwhile, over in Britain, a vibrant antiwar movement brought on motion after motion in Parliament to cease fire and end all offensive operations against the rebels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But do the hierarchy want another frank agitator in Maresca, having been sufficiently chastened by Amorim’s semi-regular public declarations?—
Peter South,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
For top-loading machines, never fill laundry past the agitator.—
Nafeesah Allen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But proponents of the industry claim that the environmental costs still net out as a plus since the space data centers take processing off the fossil-fuel-burning grid.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One of the biggest proponents of the capri resurgence, the supermodel has been making a stylish case for cropped pants since last summer—and her latest iteration takes the divisive Noughties silhouette into Italian girl style territory.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.—
NIC CHEESEMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Trump can be seen as a bastion of free trade for the Silicon Valley capitalists, a beacon of white Christian America to the heartland Evangelicals, and a fascist demagogue to the blood and soil nationalists.—
Ryan Broderick,
Rolling Stone,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Just hearing ‘set piece’ sends a shiver down Liverpool supporters’ spines.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The new library would replace Truckee’s existing 50-year-old structure, which supporters say no longer meets the needs of a growing population.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In addition, famed promoter Don King signed her as his first female client in 1993.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
8 Nov. 2025
-
As a prize fight champion, Olympic gold medalist and now successful boxing promoter, Oscar De La Hoya should be the last person on earth who supports Jake Paul.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
While many are now driven primarily by economic interests, a subset retains insurgent, ant-imperialist commitments.—
Rebecca Hanson,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
-
That could mean tightening sanctions on remaining power brokers, expanding strikes against security installations and militias, covertly supporting insurgent factions, and using Maduro’s prospective trial as a global stage on which to delegitimize Chavismo once and for all.—
Robert Muggah,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At worst, the government has invited in a provocateur who will continue to spread poison and incite violence.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
30 Dec. 2025
-
This same climate, however, allowed for vicious attacks on a provocateur from their side who had just been killed in cold blood.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Firebrand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrand. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share