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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Recent Examples of troublemaker
The book looked at the world of Bad Bridgets, a swath of Irish women emigrants that were deemed troublemakers, noting that for a time Irish women outnumbered Irish men in prison.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Climate troublemaker El Niño can cause heat waves, droughts and flooding around the world.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
And then there’s that bag stuffed with cash and drugs, the real troublemaker.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Their bid to cash in on the find quickly unravels into a dangerous pursuit, as smugglers and rivals close in and an unlikely band of companions, including a resourceful fish vendor and a volatile local troublemaker, get swept up in the mayhem.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026
Climate troublemaker El Niño can cause heat waves, droughts and flooding around the world.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
And then there’s that bag stuffed with cash and drugs, the real troublemaker.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Their bid to cash in on the find quickly unravels into a dangerous pursuit, as smugglers and rivals close in and an unlikely band of companions, including a resourceful fish vendor and a volatile local troublemaker, get swept up in the mayhem.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
Noun
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His season ends with a heart attack, mirroring his father’s cause of death — and a major tease for his story continuation in the One Golden Summer novel.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
The tease suggests the dishes will launch soon.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Still, the star did not name her harassers.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
-
Most harassers do not harass others in front of someone else.—
Briana Mascaro,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
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The day shift also starts making factory-work jokes, with Rekha playing a perky do-bee who just wants to make the boss happy, and Lily adopting an agitator role, demanding workman’s comp and trying to spark revolt.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
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The patron saint of the 2024 Democratic National Convention was Fannie Lou Hamer—recalcitrant sharecropper turned agitator and, like the Democratic presidential nominee, a black woman.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
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And though fans are eager to see their favorite characters on screen, many are discouraged by the teaser's new animation style.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
16 June 2026
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In February, Oseman unveiled the book's cover on Instagram alongside a teaser of the story ahead.—
Lily Brown,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
Noun
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His climate policy push has generated moments of significant blow back from right-leaning politicians and outspoken members of the public, leading political observers to cast green policies as all-but-inevitable instigators of climate backlash.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
3 June 2026
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Rimet, the instigator of the World Cup, was an enthusiastic supporter of professional soccer at a time when amateur sport was considered superior.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Troublemaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaker. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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