firebrands

noun

plural of firebrand
as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts

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 firebrands 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 Since arriving on the scene almost a decade ago, the trio have presented themselves as firebrands, ready to stick it to an establishment seeking to strangle the last remnants of 20th century Irish republicanism. — Dean Van Nguyen, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026 An unexpectedly and profoundly unnecessary high price for the incendiary firebrands of the destructive new left. — Bob Ehrlich, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026 Ken Paxton and Jasmine Crockett, both firebrands within their respective party primaries, are slated to watch results roll in just a mile apart in central Dallas. — Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands
  1. rebels
  2. agitators
  3. demagogues
  4. proponents
  5. insurgents
  6. supporters
  7. promoters
  8. provocateurs
Noun
  • Yemen's military said the rebels targeted both the port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones, but did not provide further details.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The clash, which occurred on Monday in the Sakaba council area of Kebbi state, also left two civilians and 17 of the rebels dead, police spokesperson Bashir Usman said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebels
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
  • 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
Definition of demagogues
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
  • Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2014.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Tuesday’s primaries refused to settle into one of the storylines written in the weeks after Colorado’s primaries, where insurgents in both parties wildly overperformed.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 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
  • 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
  • But in Southern California’s wealthy foothill enclaves, event promoters are regularly transforming these types of regal estates into weekend party houses filled with young people who are willing to pay to enter.
    — Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of promoters
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

firebrand
firebrands
fire-breather
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Cite this Entry

“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of firebrands for Spanish Speakers

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