FIREBRANDS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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 In a moment when voters increasingly reward populist firebrands, Becerra presents as calm, workmanlike, and maybe a little boring. — Ben Paviour august 17, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands

Noun

Nathaniel Bacon and his rebels set fire to Jamestown, the capital of the Virginia colony.

— USA Today, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Smokejumpers kicked cargo destined for mountain villages in Vietnam, Hmong rebels in Laos, and Muslim dissidents in China.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

Now, Bartko fears death in a Kansas prison cell or deportation to Belarus, where her friends have been prosecuted as political agitators.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
For several years before the IAU vote, there had been agitators among the astronomical community lobbying for our solar system's nine worlds to become eight, and for Pluto's planetary status to be revoked.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Aug. 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

The gloves deliver can an electrical shock strong enough to drop a strong man to his knees in an instant, and proponents say the gloves provide a fast and non-lethal way to subdue a person.

— Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
The memo is a bit surprising considering Gates still advises Microsoft, one of the major proponents of the technology, and an investor in OpenAI.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

The insecurity landscape is also more chaotic because some groups, after initially being invited to help defend against insurgents, turned into terrorists, said Dengiyefa Angalapu, an analyst at the Center for Democracy and Development in Abuja.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Socialists have found a new footing in the party, with younger and more left-wing insurgents ousting older establishment figures to demand generational and ideological change.

— Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Was The Friedkin Group's decision not to sell the homegrown midfielder a victory for those loyal supporters who campaigned to keep him?

— Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Capcom has proven itself to be one of the platform's biggest supporters, bringing nearly all of its new and old releases to the platform.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

The festival, hosted by Olivia Rodrigo at the Great Park, was a spiritual successor to Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair of the late ‘90s, born out of frustration with promoters and radio stations that refused to play two female artists in a row.

— Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Cover for cancellations caused by the conflict can be difficult to obtain, potentially leaving promoters exposed to huge losses.

— Inzamam Rashid, Fortune, 26 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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“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of firebrands

noun

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