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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Prospective visitors, along with park proponents, are concerned about what the parks and experiences may look like after the sweeping layoffs across the National Park Service and the larger federal government in February.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025 -
Plan proponents saw this as a way to combat the district’s funding problems.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Some supporters even lost the will to protest, feeling nothing will change.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
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In a statement posted to X, Taylor congratulated Lee and acknowledged the impact of his supporters.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The merger proposal drew concern from competing concert promoters and venue owners, who claimed at the time that combining Ticketmaster and Live Nation would force them to work with their largest competitor.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2025
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The concept of WrestleMania was created by Vince McMahon, a second-generation wrestling promoter who served as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for four decades before resigning from his role with the company in 2024.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Book dispute is one of three religious rights cases The case is one of three religious rights cases the Supreme Court is deciding in the coming weeks, and appears likely to be part of a recent trend of the court siding with religious rights advocates.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Environmental advocates and cheerleaders for biodiversity were overjoyed that the wolves — who in their best moments look a lot like big, cuddly dogs — were making such an astonishing comeback.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On Monday night, anti-Israel agitators with the group Within Our Lifetime (WOL) protested in the train station’s main concourse.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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This event is being driven by left-wing extremists and paid agitators with a clear agenda.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In March, demonstrators took to the streets to oppose his rule and display their support for Magyar.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper refused his request in 2020 to shoot George Floyd demonstrators.—
Mark Green,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The senator’s appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is consistent with his popularity among young progressives who admire him as an uncompromising and outspoken firebrand.—
Matthew Mpoke Bigg,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
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Buchanan wore his Nixon loyalty as a badge of honor throughout his career as a conservative firebrand.—
Made by History,
TIME,
24 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Instigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigator. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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