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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands
Noun
-
Why isn’t Homelander lasering these rebels immediately?—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Eastern Congo has experienced some of its worst violence in years, with M23 rebels seizing large parts of North Kivu and advancing toward the regional capital, Goma, disrupting road links and border crossings.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Lightning were without Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, two of the main agitators from the first matchup.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
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But proponents see the redistricting push in Virginia as a necessary reaction after Republicans launched similar actions in states like Texas, North Carolina and Missouri.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While the proponents of this plan promise lower rates and more local control, the reality is far more dangerous.—
Chris Cate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2024, insurgents led by now-interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham marched to Damascus and removed Assad from power.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
While serving a tour of duty outside the province of Kandahar in Afghanistan in August of 2011, he was ambushed by Taliban insurgents disguised in Afghan National Army uniforms.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The area was gridlocked with traffic, with people coming back to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming on scooters, waving the group’s flag.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Thanks to supporters like you, the Rancho Santa Fe Senior Center continues to offer engaging classes, meaningful programs, and a welcoming place to connect all while caring for our historic property.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Live Nation could have to set limits on its exclusive ticketing contracts and fees, and open some of its venues to rival promoters — along with fees.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Or independent venue owners or promoters?—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The character of McCrum’s images is also quite different than that of the ones in the fictional Brainrot, whose sleek, sensual images recall the highly polished work of provocateurs like Torbjørn Rødland and Heji Shin.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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