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
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 provocateurs
The decline of mainstream Christian voices in recent decades left a vacuum that the most extreme ideologues and provocateurs eagerly filled.
—
Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Third parties, which are usually based on fringe views or a sense of grievance, are vehicles for ideologues, provocateurs and contrarians whose appeal is as limited as their problem-solving skills.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Dynevor, meanwhile, finds texture in a villainous role that rightly reminds us how petty personal grievances (on campus, no less) may well be the driving force behind the most outspoken political provocateurs.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Charlie Kirk was one of the right's preeminent provocateurs, often delving into contentious territory.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
So instead of making these obvious points to union provocateurs such as Davis Gates, our political leaders treat her with kid gloves.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Third parties, which are usually based on fringe views or a sense of grievance, are vehicles for ideologues, provocateurs and contrarians whose appeal is as limited as their problem-solving skills.
—Newsweek Contributors, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Dynevor, meanwhile, finds texture in a villainous role that rightly reminds us how petty personal grievances (on campus, no less) may well be the driving force behind the most outspoken political provocateurs.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025
Charlie Kirk was one of the right's preeminent provocateurs, often delving into contentious territory.
—Zac Anderson, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025
So instead of making these obvious points to union provocateurs such as Davis Gates, our political leaders treat her with kid gloves.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateurs
Noun
-
Following the fatal shootings of anti-ICE agitators Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this month, several stars have used their platform to speak about the issue, with many critical of the situation.—
Emily Trainham,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
This is why, apart from rhetoric, the MAGA crowd insists there must be outside money, outside organization, outside agitators here.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, rebels in 2024 overthrew Syria’s Bashar Assad after a yearslong, bloody war in which Iran backed his rule.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The Season 2 finale of Percy Jackson and the Olympians saw Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries), Grover (Aryan Simhadri) mobilize the rest of the demigods against Luke (Charlie Bushnell) and his ragtag crew of rebels working to resurrect Kronos.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Those efforts, combined with security operations against both Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias, weakened al-Qaeda between 2007 and 2009, allowing al-Maliki to consolidate power.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Israel — home to more Holocaust survivors than any other country — marks its remembrance day, Yom HaShoah, on the anniversary of the April 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, emphasizing the heroism of the Jewish insurgents who resisted the Nazi terror.—
Vanessa Gera,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Chilton said what sets him apart from other concert promoters is that Psyko Steve Presents takes a lot more risks on smaller artists.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The live music business is still dealing with the personnel shortage that resulted from that tumultuous period, which ultimately left fewer experienced crew members, promoters, and agents on hand as many transitioned to other careers.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Family, friends, and rabid supporters cheered.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Authorities ultimately barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the match, citing security concerns, after large-scale protests were planned.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Studies show that as a result of these cycles, Americans on the left and right have developed an exaggerated sense of the other side’s hostility, exactly as some political demagogues intend.—
Adam G. Klein,
The Conversation,
12 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Critics of phasing out natural gas argue that much of the electricity on the grid comes from natural gas, but proponents say renewable energy is making up a larger share.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University who has written about modern masculinity, has been among the most vocal proponents of the idea that drinking plays a crucial social role in American society.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Provocateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateurs. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
