troublemaker

noun

Definition of troublemakernext
as in agitator
a person who causes trouble; a person who creates problems or difficulties involving other people He had the reputation of being a troublemaker in high school.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 troublemaker Instead, the Plaintiffs were labeled ‘troublemakers’ by the school and, therefore, not trustworthy. — Austin Horn july 14, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026 Waymo then stopped the car and alerted the San Mateo Police, who showed up and detained the troublemakers, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026 To help boost those numbers, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) recently released a brief PSA video advising on the best ways to locate and dispatch the ongoing troublemakers. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 July 2026 Make room, Reacher — there's another troublemaker (and solver) on the scene looking to take down some big bads. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
  1. tease
  2. harasser
  3. agitator
  4. teaser
  5. instigator
Noun
  • In both cases, the assumption is the same—that theatergoers aren’t there for traditional superhero derring-do, only a cavalcade of Easter eggs and teases for upcoming installments to keep the Marvel gravy train running at full steam.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • Series stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston took to social media to bid farewell to the series and tease at what fans can look forward to in the upcoming installment.
    — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of tease
Noun
  • There is just no defending that behavior, and the harasser/scumbag should walk the plank, so to speak.
    — Geoff Clark OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2026
  • Still, the star did not name her harassers.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 22 May 2026
Definition of harasser
Noun
  • Naturally, Cornyn’s increasing role as a White House agitator and swing vote hasn’t gone over well with the MAGA base.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026
  • Some of the speculation comes from state workers who are unhappy with the governor’s decision, the moderator said, but the subreddit’s activity also attracts outside agitators who are obviously not government employees.
    — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • With just eight days of elite training back under her belt, Lee posted a quick teaser of training footage from inside the gym.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The teaser offers fans their first glimpse of the returning ensemble cast, including Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan.
    — Kennedy French, Variety, 29 July 2026
Definition of teaser
Noun
  • 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
  • Greek director-screenwriter-producer Tsangari is considered a principal instigator of the Greek New Wave.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026
Definition of instigator

Browse Nearby Words

troubled
troublemaker
troublemakers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Troublemaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaker. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on troublemaker

Nglish: Translation of troublemaker for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All