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

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 firebrands The Republican losses indiscriminately wiped out GOP firebrands, moderates and veteran conservatives nationwide. — Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2026 The most glaring is the contrast between majoritarian consensus builders on one hand and the party's firebrands on the left. — Ron Elving, NPR, 1 Nov. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands

Noun

The rebels made a lightning advance capturing much of Yemen's Red Sea coast and strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

— AHMED HATEM, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry rejected similar Sudanese accusations in a May 5 statement, calling them baseless, and accused Sudan of supporting rebels in its northern Tigray region.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

The legal defense army The Left developed a legal advocacy network to support street agitators well before 2020.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2026
Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of agitators

Noun

Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

Artificial intelligence stocks came under pressure overnight as Democrats — seen as proponents of data center moratoriums — won big in midterm elections in key data center hubs.

— Spencer Kimball,Garrett Downs,Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger,Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
In the run-up to the midterm election Tuesday, proponents said the property tax amendment would help people stay in their homes and would ease the burden on homeowners.

— Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

Here the three were, as what some would call a band of outsiders, telling a story about these insurgents to the distinguished Fleet Street, where the most esteemed newspapers like The Daily Mirror were published.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 10 Nov. 2026
But establishments don’t fade away so easily — and insurgents don’t automatically shun them.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Transgender-rights supporters marched through downtown Seattle Thursday after Washington voters approved a measure barring biological males from girls’ K–12 interscholastic sports, setting up a potential court battle over the new restrictions.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026
That moment encapsulated the night between Brooks and his supporters.

— Rashad Alexander November 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

Sheeran has said his promoters made the decision, according to the BBC.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026
Sheeran argued that the decision to remove Macklemore as an opener, backed by the venues and promoters, came down to not wanting to disappoint fans or impact the other people working on the tour by cancelling.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of promoters

Noun

Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Hilton’s edgy attitude and pugnacious put-downs would place him right at home among the network’s collection of trolls, provocateurs and Democrat-bashing gargoyles.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of provocateurs

Browse Nearby Words

firebrand

firebrands

fire-breather

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of firebrands

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

valorous

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes