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
Researchers have been investigating this mystery and identified potential head-pounding provocateurs.
—
Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2025
Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur and conspiracy theorist, saw an opportunity to position herself as the voice of reason.
—Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Of all the larger-than-life agitators and provocateurs to come out of Flint, Michigan, in the past few years, he’s become one of the best rappers of the bunch.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
In his latest crime thriller, New York federal prosecutor Nora Carleton builds a case against an online provocateur whose vitriolic podcasts may be inspiring physical attacks against ideological foes.
—Monitor Staff, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Amy McGorry, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2025
Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur and conspiracy theorist, saw an opportunity to position herself as the voice of reason.
—Chris Megerian, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
Of all the larger-than-life agitators and provocateurs to come out of Flint, Michigan, in the past few years, he’s become one of the best rappers of the bunch.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 June 2025
In his latest crime thriller, New York federal prosecutor Nora Carleton builds a case against an online provocateur whose vitriolic podcasts may be inspiring physical attacks against ideological foes.
—Monitor Staff, Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
-
The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
-
Shortly after that, Israeli airstrikes on Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah across neighboring Syria — at the time, a key ally of Iran — weakened the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown last December by rebels.—
James Hider,
NPR,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
His trajectory in the music industry went from concert promoter and artist manager to entrepreneur who launched Absolute Merch with no funding in 2012.—
Andrea Zarczynski,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
Just hours after tickets went on sale Thursday (June 26) for the legendary rock band’s 2025 stadium tour, promoter TEG Van Egmond has announced second dates in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane due to overwhelming demand.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
Police officials said force was used only after a group of agitators began pelting officers with bottles, fireworks and other objects.—
Karim Doumar,
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2025
-
The Austin Police Department (APD) has released mugshots of eight people who were arrested after anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitators turned violent this week.—
Audrey Conklin,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The legendary rapper was quickly cremated, which his mother was a proponent of, but Knight stated that Pac had different plans for his funeral.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
1 July 2025
-
Much like Gen Z, who are proponents of manifesting success, King agrees that there’s power in thinking positively.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
The insult to business found its leader in former FTC chief Lina Khan, a 36-year-old populist firebrand who was an anathema to business and tried to check its every move.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
-
Rutte’s first government was a coalition with the more right-leaning Christian Democrats (CDA) but was propped up by the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by the anti-Muslim firebrand Geert Wilders.—
Adam Rasmi,
Time,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Longoria has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party and endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 election.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
1 July 2025
-
Senate rules preclude debate on an amendment during the marathon of votes, though they can be waived to allow an opponent and a supporter of an amendment to speak for 30 seconds – according to former Senate aide Keith Hennessey.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
As a Baptist preacher and an anti-Catholic demagogue, Catts played well to a certain constituency at the time.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2025
-
Today, as fears of authoritarianism and political demagogues have been unexpectedly rekindled, certain episodes are again recalled, especially those with political and social themes – which were contained within at least 1/3 of the total produced.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
The warning issue June 11 said terrorist and insurgent groups regularly attacked Iraqi security forces and civilians and anti-U.S. militias threatened U.S. citizens and international companies.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
The Iranian regime has held Americans hostage and supported terrorists and insurgents who have killed U.S. service members in Lebanon and Iraq.—
Reid Smith,
Foreign Affairs,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share