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
Daryl, that troublemaker, shows up at the wake.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Iris Apatow and Costa D'Angelo are the latest troublemakers to stir the pot at Baird.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
His older brother, Leonard Kibrick, had played the main troublemaker in the series, giving Spanky (George McFarland), Alfalfa (Carl Switzer), Buckwheat (Billie Thomas) and Darla (Darla Hood) a hard time, before Bond replaced him in 1936.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
Before Jackson's diagnosis more than a decade ago, Ferguson said, her son wasn't a troublemaker.
—Sarah Jane Tribble, NPR, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
Iris Apatow and Costa D'Angelo are the latest troublemakers to stir the pot at Baird.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Jan. 2026
His older brother, Leonard Kibrick, had played the main troublemaker in the series, giving Spanky (George McFarland), Alfalfa (Carl Switzer), Buckwheat (Billie Thomas) and Darla (Darla Hood) a hard time, before Bond replaced him in 1936.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 6 Jan. 2026
Before Jackson's diagnosis more than a decade ago, Ferguson said, her son wasn't a troublemaker.
—Sarah Jane Tribble, NPR, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
Noun
-
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
But other than Bedard and MacKenzie Weegar getting into it a couple of times, Mangiapane was the only real agitator the Blackhawks had.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That’s why the pretty-much-annual fleeting tease like a High Point is so embraced and celebrated.—
Greg Cote
Updated March 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
-
That’s my opaque tease of what’s to come.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Watch the first teaser trailer below.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Check out the teaser trailer for Eurovision Song Contest Asia below.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hawkins joked that Heckel is usually the instigator of any trash talk between them, but there hasn’t been much jawing ahead of Monday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
-
In 2001, the United States and its allies stormed into Afghanistan, aiming to destroy the Taliban and round up the instigators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Of course, that conservative approach is often wrecked by QB harassers such as Lawrence and Williams, part of a defense that ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks.—
Eric Branch,
San Francisco Chronicle,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Troublemaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaker. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
