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
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
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
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Meanwhile, rebels in 2024 overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad after a yearslong, bloody war in which Iran backed his rule.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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The Season 2 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians saw Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri) mobilize the rest of the demigods against Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and his ragtag crew of rebels working to resurrect Kronos.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Following the fatal shootings of anti-ICE agitators Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month, several stars have used their platform to speak about the issue, with many critical of the situation.—
Emily Trainham,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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This is why, apart from rhetoric, the MAGA crowd insists there must be outside money, outside organization, outside agitators here.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.—
NIC CHEESEMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
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Studies show that as a result of these cycles, Americans on the left and right have developed an exaggerated sense of the other side’s hostility, exactly as some political demagogues intend.—
Adam G. Klein,
The Conversation,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Critics of phasing out natural gas argue that much of the electricity on the grid comes from natural gas, but proponents say renewable energy is making up a larger share.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
26 Jan. 2026
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Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University who has written about modern masculinity, has been among the most vocal proponents of the idea that drinking plays a crucial social role in American society.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those efforts, combined with security operations against both Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, weakened al-Qaeda between 2007 and 2009, allowing al-Maliki to consolidate power.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
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Israel — home to more Holocaust survivors than any other country — marks its remembrance day, Yom HaShoah, on the anniversary of the April 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, emphasizing the heroism of the Jewish insurgents who resisted the Nazi terror.—
Vanessa Gera,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Family, friends, and rabid supporters cheered.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
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Authorities ultimately barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the match, citing security concerns, after large-scale protests were planned.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Chilton said what sets him apart from other concert promoters is that Psyko Steve Presents takes a lot more risks on smaller artists.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The live music business is still dealing with the personnel shortage that resulted from that tumultuous period, which ultimately left fewer experienced crew members, promoters, and agents on hand as many transitioned to other careers.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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He is regularly confronted in public by provocateurs with cameras, filming clips for social media.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
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Third parties, which are usually based on fringe views or a sense of grievance, are vehicles for ideologues, provocateurs and contrarians whose appeal is as limited as their problem-solving skills.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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