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
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
An instigator all night long for the Chargers, the 5-foot-3 Dutkanych finally took in the scene around her before reaching up to softly rub a growing lump on her forehead, reddened by the ice.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 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
Little has been accomplished, and Labour’s woes seem likely to benefit the Reform Party, a new nationalist, populist outfit led by the Brexit instigator Nigel Farage.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Federal officials and the president himself were swift to label those killed as instigators.
—Dominik Dausch, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Jan. 2026
Kristy Thomas Your favorite instigator has gone corporate.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 2026
An instigator all night long for the Chargers, the 5-foot-3 Dutkanych finally took in the scene around her before reaching up to softly rub a growing lump on her forehead, reddened by the ice.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 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
Little has been accomplished, and Labour’s woes seem likely to benefit the Reform Party, a new nationalist, populist outfit led by the Brexit instigator Nigel Farage.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2026
Federal officials and the president himself were swift to label those killed as instigators.
—Dominik Dausch, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 28 Jan. 2026
Kristy Thomas Your favorite instigator has gone corporate.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigator
Noun
-
And like in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, this war seems unlikely to turn out quite as its proponents may hope.—
Fareed Zakaria,
Washington Post,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The measure’s proponents say the measure would help free up funds in the county budget for other services.—
Theresa Clift,
Sacbee.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Talarico has been an ardent supporter of expanding legal gambling during his tenure in the Texas legislature.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Politics has long been a passion for Iger, a longtime supporter of Democrats, but a consideration of a presidential run last decade ended abruptly when the exec brought the prospect up with Bay.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The trade association represents more than 1,400 independent venues, festivals, promoters and presenters across the country.—
Gabriella Fine,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Kent, a promoter of far-right conspiracy theories whom the Senate narrowly confirmed for the director role last July, accused the president of being deceived by Israel into supporting the war.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Winnie Cheung, United States, 2025 A motorcycle rebel spirals deeper into her erotic hallucinations in order to escape the grip of a sultry serpent woman.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Mar. 2026
-
My mother was a freewheeling rebel who was far from being a caretaker.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Rae Huang, a pastor and housing advocate, will also appear on the ballot.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
-
McGiffert, the patient safety advocate, urged consumers to check multiple sources when evaluating a hospital or other health system.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On March 1st, the right-wing online agitator Ian Miles Cheong posted a video from a Dubai club where uniformed employees danced with sparklers and liquor bottles.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
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Christian women wishing to reunite their families without calling for Hitler’s demise, or the release of all Jews, were harder for the regime to portray as political enemies or criminal agitators.—
Danielle Wirsansky,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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From 2016 to 2019, the shipbuilder conducted multiple trials using a one-fifth-scale demonstrator with roughly 540 square feet of sail area to analyze aerodynamics, sail control, and structural behavior.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
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This test flight also delivered a demonstrator payload for @LockheedMartin.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On Saturday, two Pennsylvania teens who federal prosecutors said were radicalized by ISIS attempted to detonate IED’s at a protest led by right-wing provocateur Jake Lang outside Gracie Mansion.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Lost in all the heated rhetoric is the fact that so much of this turmoil would have been avoided if federal detainers were simply honored within local jails and state prisons — away from the public and professional provocateurs who are drawn to uncivil cultural conflict like bees to honey.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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