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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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 faux outrage was egged on by professional right-wing provocateurs like Robby Starbuck, Benny Johnson and a leading investor in MAGA darling Steak n’ Shake. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateurs

Noun

Now, Bartko fears death in a Kansas prison cell or deportation to Belarus, where her friends have been prosecuted as political agitators.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
For several years before the IAU vote, there had been agitators among the astronomical community lobbying for our solar system's nine worlds to become eight, and for Pluto's planetary status to be revoked.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of agitators

Noun

Saudi diplomats had notified US lawmakers in August of a breakdown in political channels with the Houthis and the rebels’ plans to escalate against the kingdom, and sought Washington’s backing to push back, the source said.

— Becky Anderson, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Government forces have reclaimed territory from the Houthis in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz, and attacked the rebels in the northern province of Jawf as well as the central provinces of Marib and Bayda.

— Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

Hundreds joined the insurgents that day, and their numbers soon swelled into the thousands.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Many of the 9/11 hijackers, for instance, initially went to Afghanistan with the intention to acquire skills and connections before traveling onward to Chechnya to fight alongside Chechen insurgents against Russian security forces.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Avsec said AlphaGenome works well for some classes of variant, such as those affecting splicing or promoters, but can miss others, particularly in enhancers.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026
At the time, there was no real professional scene for female fighters, with the major promoters not seeing any commercial value in it.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of promoters

Noun

Few would begrudge Mohamed Salah his Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year prize for his 2024-25 season with Liverpool, but there are always reflected glories back to the club and its supporters.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
An Alabama woman accused of causing a deadly crash while driving a school bus experienced a medical crisis during the accident, her supporters reportedly said.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

This included understanding the history of democratic ideas and practical governance, as well as the need to protect minority groups and the dangers posed by demagogues.

— Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 1 Sep. 2026
In recent years, totalizing ideologies such as communism, fascism, and Islamism have found dedicated audiences on social media, and the proliferation of demagogues manipulating people for malign ends is an ever-present worry.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

School choice proponents often say the rapid increase in participation only shows the enormous demand for such programs.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
There are obvious health risks with this process, despite the insistence by a lot of gray market proponents that everything is safe.

— Kara McGrath, Allure, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

Luis Suarez was one of the instigators, spit on a Sounders official, and was punished with six-game Leagues Cup suspension, which means the Uruguayan forward is banned from the entire 2026 tournament.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
It was said in jest, yet the sport’s most audacious instigators might take him up on it.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of instigators

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provocateur

provocateurs

provocation

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“Provocateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateurs. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of provocateurs

noun

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