RABBLE-ROUSERS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

rabble-rousers

noun

plural of rabble-rouser

as in agitators

a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent rabble-rousers inciting hungry people in breadlines to demand social justice

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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 rabble-rousers Democratic politicians, bureaucrats and labor leaders, once rabble-rousers like Bass who nowadays seem to exist mostly to keep their sinecure, have labored mightily to convince unbelieving voters that Bass deserves another shot. — Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Being put on some list of rabble-rousers? — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Apr. 2026 Columbia University's new president is already facing opposition from anti-Israel rabble-rousers, who have condemned her for previous actions taken against leftist encampments at her last college. — Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 26 Jan. 2026 And still the Swedish rabble-rousers endure. — Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026 Most of these commentators, influencers, and rabble-rousers operate outside the mainstream-media spotlight, yet their influence is vast, shaping how the next generation thinks about race, gender, government, and truth itself. — Clara Molot, Air Mail, 20 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rabble-rousers

Noun

Coolly, Violet responds that to avoid alarming the public, a few agitators have beenneutralized—now there’s a sticky euphemism—and their deaths passed off as revenge killings among drug traffickers.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Scores of pages of planning documents and social media posts analyzed by Fox News Digital reveal that agitators have laid the groundwork for a coordinated campaign with money, logistics and a communications infrastructure behind their efforts.

— Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of agitators

Noun

The most recent, Vietnam, was won by the communist rebels, and that country is stable today.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
In December 2024, Syrian rebels streamed into Damascus in a surprise attack that toppled President Bashar al-Assad and put an end to more than 13 bloody years of civil war.

— Emily Feng, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

One section of bleachers directly behind the lectern and in the eye of the cameras was filled with supporters who looked young enough to be Florida Gulf Coast undergrads.

— Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
On Saturday, both are expected to take tens of thousands of supporters to the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in their last effort before the runoff.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

The live-music ecosystem is largely controlled by a small number of powerful promoters, namely Live Nation and AEG.

— Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
This wasn’t an unusual sight for the South Pasadena concert hall from bookers and promoters Sid the Cat.

— Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of promoters

Noun

Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Hilton’s edgy attitude and pugnacious put-downs would place him right at home among the network’s collection of trolls, provocateurs and Democrat-bashing gargoyles.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of provocateurs

Noun

Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe.

— Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Some proponents of tighter regulation will accept incremental progress, while others push for more sweeping change.

— Barbara A. Trish, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
But proponents say including bird-friendly glass from the beginning can increase a large development’s total budget by less than 1%.

— Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponents

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“Rabble-rousers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabble-rousers. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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noun

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