as in proponents
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 instigators
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
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
Snowstorms are the most frequent instigators of massive flight delays and cancellations at the area's big airports.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
The team found that artificial sweetener Stevia, as well as compounds released by our own gut cells, were the main instigators in activating these gut phages.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought – while omitting the name of outside instigators – implies the culpability of that state.
—Esther Brito Ruiz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
One of the main instigators, Starboard Value, is back for more.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
And the main instigators are men.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 6 Mar. 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
Snowstorms are the most frequent instigators of massive flight delays and cancellations at the area's big airports.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
The team found that artificial sweetener Stevia, as well as compounds released by our own gut cells, were the main instigators in activating these gut phages.
—New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2025
Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought – while omitting the name of outside instigators – implies the culpability of that state.
—Esther Brito Ruiz, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025
One of the main instigators, Starboard Value, is back for more.
—Jordan Novet, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
And the main instigators are men.
—Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for instigators
Noun
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Most apps have questions requesting users’ ages, and some use specialized identification technology, but proponents say children are getting around these barriers.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
17 Mar. 2026
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Beside the dock lay dozens of canoes owned by the East Bay Regional Park District, which proponents of the new park hope will be utilized more when construction is completed.—
Chase Hunter,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Two years later, promoters marketed confusing credits such as the Employee Retention Credit to businesses that did not qualify, collecting fees to file improper claims.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Also for the amphitheaters, promoters may choose how to distribute up to 50% of the tickets at their own discretion.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Both largely blamed outside agitators, noting that conservative influencers urged people to attend the meeting and several of the speakers came from surrounding towns.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
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This, in my view, would have kept these agitators away from ICE agents, and almost certainly would have prevented both deaths.—
Michael Zais,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
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After losing the Chinese Civil War to Mao and his Communist forces, the Nationalist government and its supporters fled in 1949 to the island of Taiwan and continued to rule as the Republic of China’s government in exile.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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One of the biggest flashpoints came in November when Van de Ven and Djed Spence walked straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the supporters after a 1-0 defeat at home by rivals Chelsea.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The rebels also fired drones at Israel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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The pair of social media provocateurs post their bizarre arguments and interactions with everyday New Yorkers, which usually end with them being chased down the street and out of bodegas and residential buildings.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In Ghana, also in West Africa, lawmakers are reviving a similar bill that seeks to impose up to three years of imprisonment for identifying as LGBTQ, with advocates facing potential sentences of up to 10 years.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
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Peppa Pig’s latest season features a storyline about George’s deaf diagnosis and new hearing aid, a move praised by parents and advocates alike.—
Hannah Silverman,
Parents,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That kind of chaos could easily spill over Iran’s borders, and not just by land; the Persian Gulf is narrow, and would not pose much of an obstacle to terrorists or insurgents who cross it in speedboats.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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Paxton will counter that Texas runoffs often reward insurgents.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Instigators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/instigators. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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