as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts
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Recent Examples of firebrands
Inmates including Sam Bankman-Fried and Harvey Weinstein have turned to such right-wing firebrands as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to present alternative narratives to their cases.
—
Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
In the 1980s, right-wing firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant claimed that the AIDS epidemic was a plague sent by God to punish gay people.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Trump’s proposal echoes a long-standing push by progressive Democrats and a few conservative firebrands on Capitol Hill to implement credit card interest rate caps, which would limit the fee a card issuer can charge consumers who carry a balance past their due date.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2026
While Collier and Stewart have accepted the duty to be labor firebrands, one of their UConn teammates, Morgan Tuck, is making her mark on the management side, as the youngest GM in the WNBA.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
That includes collaborations in-the-round with Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff and DeVotchKa, as well as indie firebrands The Flaming Lips, in addition to standard orchestral fare and familiar classical-crossover acts such as Andrea Bocelli and Lindsey Stirling.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
The heavy concentrations of dead and down fuels will complicate containment efforts and provide sources for firebrands and ember cast when adjacent to control lines.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
But just as McCarthy’s picks were considered conservative firebrands, Moskowitz and Crockett are vocal Democratic members whose use of social media and outspoken rhetoric has earned them a high place in the party’s standings.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
In the 1980s, right-wing firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant claimed that the AIDS epidemic was a plague sent by God to punish gay people.
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Trump’s proposal echoes a long-standing push by progressive Democrats and a few conservative firebrands on Capitol Hill to implement credit card interest rate caps, which would limit the fee a card issuer can charge consumers who carry a balance past their due date.
—Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 15 Jan. 2026
While Collier and Stewart have accepted the duty to be labor firebrands, one of their UConn teammates, Morgan Tuck, is making her mark on the management side, as the youngest GM in the WNBA.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
That includes collaborations in-the-round with Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff and DeVotchKa, as well as indie firebrands The Flaming Lips, in addition to standard orchestral fare and familiar classical-crossover acts such as Andrea Bocelli and Lindsey Stirling.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
The heavy concentrations of dead and down fuels will complicate containment efforts and provide sources for firebrands and ember cast when adjacent to control lines.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 Sep. 2025
But just as McCarthy’s picks were considered conservative firebrands, Moskowitz and Crockett are vocal Democratic members whose use of social media and outspoken rhetoric has earned them a high place in the party’s standings.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands
Noun
-
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Yet plantation records indicate that women helped supply food and clothing to rebels.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
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In the long term, this failure to address deep social problems contributes to the erosion of people’s trust in governments and institutions, breeding nihilism and an attraction to demagogues who claim to have easy answers.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
From ancient sources philosophers and poets, democrats and demagogues, found justification for everything from anarchy to fascism, and there are reasons for both justifications.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ironically, bell-to-bell ban proponents like Britt-Friedman are also worried about children’s safety — but the danger that animates them is the phone itself.—
Theo Peck-Suzuki,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Now, the hospital, which treats mostly people involved with the justice system, is expanding to alleviate the county’s overlapping mental health and homelessness crisis, in what proponents described as a more compassionate approach than in the past.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
-
After Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new theocracy also battled Kurdish insurgents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The military success of the opening act of the current Iran war, which began with the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has bolstered the confidence of Netanyahu’s supporters as Israel barrels toward an election later this year.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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But between matches, before kickoff or after the final whistle, even the most hardcore supporters need a place to relax, stretch their legs and experience something beyond the stadium gates.—
Taylor Haught,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Both cases, including one that got as far as the Supreme Court, underscore the determination of AI promoters and uses to infiltrate the new technology deeper into society.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Previously announced European tour and festival dates are on sale now, promoters added.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Lost in all the heated rhetoric is the fact that so much of this turmoil would have been avoided if federal detainers were simply honored within local jails and state prisons — away from the public and professional provocateurs who are drawn to uncivil cultural conflict like bees to honey.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
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The pair of social media provocateurs post their bizarre arguments and interactions with everyday New Yorkers, which usually end with them being chased down the street and out of bodegas and residential buildings.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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