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
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Recent Examples of instigator
Rimet, the instigator of the World Cup, was an enthusiastic supporter of professional soccer at a time when amateur sport was considered superior.
—
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Money is an effect, never an instigator of economic activity.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
There are leaders, lurkers, peacekeepers, instigators, and the person who only surfaces to drop an occasional thumbs-up.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 May 2026
More often than not, junior shortstop Mei Shirokawa is the instigator for Burlington Central.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
In part, Turner’s own frustration with television news was the instigator.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Lifeson said that a chance meeting with Paul McCartney during a tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins back in 2022 was the instigator, when Macca urged them to get over their mean, mean pride.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 4 May 2026
All of that would be intriguing even if the founders of Deep Voodoo weren’t South Park instigators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
Hawkins joked that Heckel is usually the instigator of any trash talk between them, but there hasn’t been much jawing ahead of Monday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Money is an effect, never an instigator of economic activity.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
There are leaders, lurkers, peacekeepers, instigators, and the person who only surfaces to drop an occasional thumbs-up.
—Sam Reed, Glamour, 18 May 2026
More often than not, junior shortstop Mei Shirokawa is the instigator for Burlington Central.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
In part, Turner’s own frustration with television news was the instigator.
—David Bauder, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Lifeson said that a chance meeting with Paul McCartney during a tribute concert for Taylor Hawkins back in 2022 was the instigator, when Macca urged them to get over their mean, mean pride.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 4 May 2026
All of that would be intriguing even if the founders of Deep Voodoo weren’t South Park instigators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 Mar. 2026
Hawkins joked that Heckel is usually the instigator of any trash talk between them, but there hasn’t been much jawing ahead of Monday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigator
Noun
-
But for longtime leaders of education organizations and tech proponents, the book has become a problem.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 May 2026
-
Whatever proponents call these statutes, the national effect is the same.—
Yaël Ossowski,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Several supporters said raising a Pride flag in town would help LGBTQ+ residents feel accepted.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Union supporters contend that the thousands of workers — despite different titles and job areas — face similar dis-empowerment in their day-to-day jobs.—
Jaweed Kaleem,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Nio signed on several brand promoters, including Robin Zeng, the CEO of CATL, the industry's battery giant, who affirmed in a marketing video that about 2,000 of his employees had bought Nio cars.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
-
Fight Night is a local promotion led by Melendez – a former San Francisco State wrestler – and longtime MMA promoter Scott Coker.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The rebels have reported two cases.—
Jean-Yves Kamale,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Wildfire resiliency advocates are warning that the loss of these funds will leave the state vulnerable to devastation, and are calling on California’s next governor to take that threat seriously.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
Environmental advocates say the removal left communities in the dark about chemical risks in their backyards.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Goche said much of the anger toward ICE is fueled by misinformation and agitators.—
Brooke Taylor,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
The bag will help protect the garment from friction, snagging, and other damage caused by other items in the wash, and add an extra layer between the machine’s drum and center agitator and the clothing.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The demonstrator version will be 4 m long, and will have a payload capacity of 2 tons with a payload volume of 8 cubic meters.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
-
The first step is a sub-scale suborbital demonstrator, called Vortex-D, that Dassault says could fly as soon as 2028.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Some of it was sought-after — Levinson is a provocateur, and his courting of controversy has earned the series nine Emmy wins and far more nominations.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
-
The Human Is Staying In The Picture (Mostly) Screenwriter and director Paul Schrader, at nearly 80 years old an unlikely technology provocateur, delivered a talk at AI on the Lot peppered with pot-stirring takes.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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