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as in firebrand
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
blamed the protests on outside incendiaries who were intent on overthrowing the government
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in provocative
tending to excite political disorder or insurrection
recklessly made incendiary remarks during a period of heightened racial tensions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incendiary
Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024
But the only traditional incendiaries in the story are the radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a friend of Katherine’s, and Henry’s minion, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, played by an inquisitorial Simon Russell Beale.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused Israeli forces of using white phosphorus incendiary shells in strikes on residential areas in a Lebanese village in violation of international law.
—Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incendiary
Noun
Ukrainian officers also accused Russia of using incendiaries in attacks on the city of Bakhmut last year.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024
But the only traditional incendiaries in the story are the radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a friend of Katherine’s, and Henry’s minion, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, played by an inquisitorial Simon Russell Beale.
—Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
Adjective
Arson – To unlawfully and intentionally damage or attempt to damage any real or personal property of another person or entity by fire or incendiary device.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2026
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused Israeli forces of using white phosphorus incendiary shells in strikes on residential areas in a Lebanese village in violation of international law.
—Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incendiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incendiary
Noun
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Me’Arah O’Neal welcomes carrying the torch for a family of hoopers, led by an NBA superstar.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Mar. 2026
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Max Verstappen snatched the torch from Lewis Hamilton and became one of the most unstoppable Formula 1 drivers in the sport from 2021 to 2024.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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French former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who gave France its 35-hour work week and then withdrew from politics after leading France’s Socialist Party to an earth-shaking presidential election defeat against far-right firebrand Jean-Marie Le Pen, has died.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
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An angry deity hurled a firebrand at the swallow, singeing away its middle tail feathers.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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If the storytelling were tighter and more successfully focused on its more sociologically provocative elements, Detective Hole could have settled into the overstuffed genre’s top tier rather than taking a place in the acceptable middle.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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But this crop of youthful, intentionally provocative antisemites is novel in some ways.—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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As the decade wore on, though, my parents grew up—as happens to young rebels—and my mother, unexpectedly, started thinking about having kids.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Their work and mental health were further disrupted when Houthi rebels in Yemen began attacking ships in the Red Sea, with at least nine sailors killed and 11 others held captive for five months.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hasan Piker's emergence as a Democratic campaign surrogate has split the party between those who see him as a crucial bridge to millions of young voters and those who view his inflammatory rhetoric as a liability that could cost elections.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The White House has dismissed comparisons of the president to fascists as inflammatory and inaccurate.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The act as insurgent against privilege, set to die in the rot of reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
31 Mar. 2026
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Mills’s primary opponent, oyster farmer and progressive insurgent Graham Platner, echoed other outsiders last year in calling for Schumer to lose his leadership post over his government shutdown dealings with Republicans.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And, of course, radio jokester and provocateur Stern.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
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The growth has elevated her from partisan provocateur to one of the most influential — and polarizing — voices on the right.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Following the outbreak of COVID-19, bias incidents and assaults against Asian Americans soared to alarming heights as demagogues on the streets and in high office inflamed xenophobic fear and animosity.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incendiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incendiary. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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