as in proponent
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
an instigator who always managed to be innocently standing by once the fighting began
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigator
Noun
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That was the compromise needed to pass the measure, bill proponents said.—
Denise Amos,
Mercury News,
18 June 2025 -
The bipartisan bill, which former President Biden signed into law in January, repealed two tax rules that proponents say have unfairly reduced benefits for many Americans who also receive government pensions.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
Noun
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Most days, she was joined by a varied group of supporters—family, friends, parliamentarians, NGO representatives, and advocates from across the globe.—
Margaret Busby
June 20,
Literary Hub,
20 June 2025
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Celta agreed to the deal despite criticism from supporters over the sale of an academy graduate who had been seen as heir apparent to Iago Aspas, 37-year-old forward who has spent a decade and a half with the club across two spells.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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In addition, Happel co-owns the South Broadway rock club HQ with former Live Nation and Soda Jerk Presents promoter Ore.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
19 June 2025
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The organization also brought in medical teams to train 48 people in the community as health workers and health promoters to ensure the availability of basic medical services.—
Diane Cole,
NPR,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Yemen's Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, have continued to launch attacks in the region despite the truce, including previous drone and missile strikes targeting Israel.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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Young-il manages to separate from the group and betrays the rebels, killing two of them and faking his own death.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Early childhood education advocates say the most notable legislation that came forward this session is the $100 million earmarked within the state budget for child care scholarships, also known as subsidies.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 June 2025
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In practice, however, advocates, activists and health experts say women encounter significant barriers to ending a pregnancy even under the limited conditions provided for by the law.—
Eléonore Hughes,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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Other protesters with a different agenda, or agitators of any sort, can insert themselves into a movement and use confrontational tactics like violence against property or law enforcement.—
Jeremy Pressman,
The Conversation,
15 June 2025
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Tensions continued to escalate throughout the evening as agitators began throwing rocks at officers, and one person spat in an officer's eye, according to police.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
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Salt Lake City police had said Gamboa brought an assault-style rifle to the rally and was moving toward the crowd with the weapon raised when a safety volunteer for the event fired three shots, wounding Gamboa and killing a nearby demonstrator, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo.—
Matthew Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2025
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These are psychopaths, and their behavior should not be tolerated, and their actions should not be used to delegitimize peaceful demonstrators.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
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The insult to business found its leader in former FTC chief Lina Khan, a 36-year-old populist firebrand who was an anathema to business and tried to check its every move.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
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Rutte’s first government was a coalition with the more right-leaning Christian Democrats (CDA) but was propped up by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by the anti-Muslim firebrand Geert Wilders.—
Adam Rasmi,
Time,
20 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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