as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of provocateur
Nick Fuentes, the extreme-right provocateur, has been called many things—a Nazi, a white supremacist, a misogynist, an incel—but never a ladies’ man.
—
Maggie Turner, Air Mail, 17 Jan. 2026
Delcy Rodríguez, a guerrilla’s daughter, started out as a provocateur.
—Adam Entous Zolan Kanno-Youngs Emily Anthes Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
This same climate, however, allowed for vicious attacks on a provocateur from their side who had just been killed in cold blood.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2025
The emails also showed that former White House chief strategist and right-wing provocateur, Steve Bannon, who is also shown with Epstein in one photo, closely advised Epstein on how to handle the fallout after the Miami Herald published a series in 2018 about his crimes.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Maggie Turner, Air Mail, 17 Jan. 2026
Delcy Rodríguez, a guerrilla’s daughter, started out as a provocateur.
—Adam Entous Zolan Kanno-Youngs Emily Anthes Anatoly Kurmanaev, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
This same climate, however, allowed for vicious attacks on a provocateur from their side who had just been killed in cold blood.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2025
The emails also showed that former White House chief strategist and right-wing provocateur, Steve Bannon, who is also shown with Epstein in one photo, closely advised Epstein on how to handle the fallout after the Miami Herald published a series in 2018 about his crimes.
—Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
-
Annabeth and Grover tell Percy that Chiron has returned, Luke has vanished, and the monsters and rebels have been driven away from the camp.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Dylan The ultimate high school rebel with a heart of gold.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Thornton, a longtime Eagle resident who co-founded The Big Easy in 2000 — now called the Knitting Factory Concert House in downtown Boise — is the president of promoter Live Nation’s mountain region.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
22 Jan. 2026
-
And King was the most prominent promoter of this approach.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This was long before the industry decided an open washer was a safety hazard for kids and cats and installed a feature that required the lid to be closed when the agitator was in use.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Continue reading … FAITH MEETS FURY – Pastors warn of 'chilling effect' after anti-ICE agitators storm Minnesota church service.—
,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But proponents of the industry claim that the environmental costs still net out as a plus since the space data centers take processing off the fossil-fuel-burning grid.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
7 Jan. 2026
-
One of the biggest proponents of the capri resurgence, the supermodel has been making a stylish case for cropped pants since last summer—and her latest iteration takes the divisive Noughties silhouette into Italian girl style territory.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s proposal echoes a long-standing push by progressive Democrats and a few conservative firebrands on Capitol Hill to implement credit card interest rate caps, which would limit the fee a card issuer can charge consumers who carry a balance past their due date.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2026
-
While Collier and Stewart have accepted the duty to be labor firebrands, one of their UConn teammates, Morgan Tuck, is making her mark on the management side, as the youngest GM in the WNBA.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Inzunza Noriega, who appeared in a wheelchair, said little at the hearing but exchanged hand signals of encouragement with two supporters as he was wheeled out of the courtroom.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
-
If feedback arrives, filter it for usefulness and keep moving, because your authentic tone attracts supporters who appreciate your vision.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Where is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Zohran Mamdani and the rest of the radical fringe left who take every opportunity to demagogue and slander Israel, and yet not one word about Iran?—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.—
NIC CHEESEMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The reactions of Idaho lawmakers, lawyers and gun-rights activists to the killing of a Minnesota protester run the gamut.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
-
And then there’s Kyle Rittenhouse, a counter-protester acquitted after fatally shooting two men and injuring another in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the post-Floyd protests.—
Bill Barrow,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
