PROVOCATEURS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

provocateurs

noun

plural of provocateur

as in agitators

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

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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 provocateurs Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs. — Anna Marks, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Just a funny parasocial back-and-forth between some of the most passionate fans in sports and one of the best provocateurs the SEC has seen since Steve Spurrier. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026 Alliances with independents and provocateurs can bring younger crowds to the traditional news fold in an era when such viewership is not guaranteed. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026 For 15 years as a member of French psych pop provocateurs La Femme, Magnée and band members were walking billboards for retro chic fashion. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026 The character of McCrum’s images is also quite different than that of the ones in the fictional Brainrot, whose sleek, sensual images recall the highly polished work of provocateurs like Torbjørn Rødland and Heji Shin. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 Apr. 2026 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 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 There were right-wing provocateurs coming to town. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateurs

Noun

Across the country, agitators on the left and the right are increasingly flirting with antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories and in-jokes to bring in new followers.

— Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026
Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country's conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of agitators

Noun

Part of the outbreak is unfolding in a major city and humanitarian hub, Goma, that rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda seized over a year ago, further complicating the response.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
In Syria, Qatar was a main political sponsor of the opposition to then-President Bashar Assad and led calls to increase the flow of weapons to the Syrian rebels.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

According to Chaudhry, insurgents have carried out three major attacks across the province since Monday.

— Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The establishment’s theory of the case has always been that popular insurgents are too risky, too unpolished, too outside the lane.

— Tad Devine, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Veteran rave promoters envision Origin as a 1,000-capacity, Blade Runner–style warehouse with modular patio stages, offering daytime community events that transition into intimate Afro-house and hard-rave nights.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Platner’s promoters were excited by his transgressive personality.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of promoters

Noun

While Rodriguez and other supporters have pushed to preserve the unit, critics of expanding Sheriff’s Office funding argue that the county should instead invest in social and community services.

— Reeti Malhotra July 13, Sacbee.com, 14 July 2026
Opposing fans and supporters alike have hurled racist abuse at Mbappé.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

But those standards can be easily stretched by demagogues, and a simple majority on the committee is enough to ban a party, though a panel of nine Supreme Court justices can overturn the decision on appeal.

— Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.

— Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

Trump’s proponents may argue these definitions are ageing, and precedents have been set in recent years that leave the battlefield a wholly more callous place.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Among Miami’s billionaires, Griffin has become one of the city’s most vocal proponents.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra at the time downplayed the confrontation, with the Heat routinely making peace after acquiring former Heat instigators.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026
The parents, arguably the film’s first instigators, operate based off fear of their children’s sexuality.

— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026

Definition of instigators

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“Provocateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateurs. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of provocateurs

noun

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