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.

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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 troublemaker 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 Sirianni hesitates for a moment, like the school troublemaker on the verge of another unpleasant trip to the principal’s office. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026 Jodie Whittaker, who portrays Daniel's troublemaker sister Lizzy, has a family of her own off-screen. — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Retaliation can include being assigned to a station far from home, passed up for promotions or labeled a troublemaker. — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
  1. tease
  2. harasser
  3. agitator
  4. teaser
  5. instigator
Noun
  • What begins as misjudgment, the official synopsis teases, spirals through human conflict into tragedy on a cosmic scale.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2026
  • Dancehall sounds like a tease in the dead of winter.
    — Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 28 June 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
  • Across the country, agitators on the left and the right are increasingly flirting with antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories and in-jokes to bring in new followers.
    — Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026
  • An agitator is a post in the machine’s center that twists so the clothes can rub against each other, while impellers have a cone or disc on the bottom of the drum that spins.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • The general public hasn’t seen anything other than a title announcement and a teaser in May that largely provided a retrospective of star Tom Cruise’s career, with just 30 seconds of footage from Digger tacked on at the end.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
  • However, a new teaser for Season 13 premiered recently, and while much of the cast was featured, Grande was noticeably absent.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2026
Definition of teaser
Noun
  • Heat coach Erik Spoelstra at the time downplayed the confrontation, with the Heat routinely making peace after acquiring former Heat instigators.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026
  • Which is why this opinion piece speculates that the spending effect of growth in the form of high demand for all things Swift and World Cup is a relative growth somnolent as opposed to an instigator.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 20 June 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 18 Jul. 2026.

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