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
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
In 2001, the United States and its allies stormed into Afghanistan, aiming to destroy the Taliban and round up the instigators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Officers later reviewed security camera footage and identified Murff as the instigator of the altercation.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2026
While some see Nelly as an empathetic and motherly caretaker, others view her as a manipulative, calculating instigator who shapes the narrative to justify her own actions.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
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
In 2001, the United States and its allies stormed into Afghanistan, aiming to destroy the Taliban and round up the instigators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
—Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
Officers later reviewed security camera footage and identified Murff as the instigator of the altercation.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 2026
While some see Nelly as an empathetic and motherly caretaker, others view her as a manipulative, calculating instigator who shapes the narrative to justify her own actions.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigator
Noun
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The entrenchment of those supply chains may have been underestimated by proponents of nearshoring and onshoring, while the impacts of higher tariffs may have been overestimated.—
Kate Nishimura,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
-
Despite that distinct lack of a firm commitment to raising new revenues, proponents of finding new revenue sources to replace federal healthcare cuts cheered the Assembly proposal and described it as aligned with the Senate.—
Andrew Graham
May 7,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The clip, shared on X, appears to show Zahra Billoo, executive director of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations CAIR-CA, discussing how supporters should approach expressing controversial sentiments in public versus private settings.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Liverpool have revised plans to increase ticket prices following protests and lengthy discussions with the club’s supporters’ board.—
Gregg Evans,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Those business partners were doing that hard piece of convincing managers, agents, and promoters to take the risk — and the promoters finally agreed.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
-
Boxing tempts him, the business world motivates him and his role as a promoter excites him.—
Jorge Ebro
May 6,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Mali was struck late last month by one of the biggest coordinated attacks on its army in Bamako and several other cities by jihadis and rebels who seized several towns and military bases.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
-
The rebels were fully aware of these other colonies and sought to include them.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Housing advocates successfully lobbied the City Council Thursday night to shift away from plans to limit the number of bus stops to four, opening up the possibility that the law, California Senate Bill 79, could apply to as many as 52 bus stops.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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Signs were posted this week warning of a disruption and preservation advocates took the government to court as debris dumped there from the White House East Wing demolition tested positive for lead.—
Steven Sloan,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Anti-Israel agitators clashed with law enforcement outside a Manhattan synagogue on Tuesday night as pro-Israel demonstrators waved Israeli and American flags nearby.—
Anders Hagstrom,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Birdbaths that have small fountains or agitators also keep the water rippling.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In an interview with Interesting Engineering in June 2025, Drennan said the Phantom 3500 builds on the progress made with its previous model, the Celera 500 demonstrator.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
The next step is to produce the full-scale Sigma demonstrator, which will really test the design and engineering that's going into this vehicle.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
McGrath’s work covers artists ranging from indie provocateur Peaches and Denver’s Nathaniel Rateliff to Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, Soundgarden and Steve Martin, so don’t be surprised to see some of your favorites in there.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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Just a funny parasocial back-and-forth between some of the most passionate fans in sports and one of the best provocateurs the SEC has seen since Steve Spurrier.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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