as in torturers
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 troublemakers
Meanwhile, younger brother Sam begins to suspect that Michael's new friends are not merely troublemakers, but vampires.
—
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
They may be passed up for promotions or labeled as troublemakers.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The Hooligan Who Rewrote the Rules Kea parrots are already famous for being troublemakers.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
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
My great-grandfather said that the next day, the whole town celebrated because the troublemakers were gone.
—Masha Hamilton, Longreads, 19 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
Across China, tens of thousands of people tagged as troublemakers like the Yangs are trapped in a digital cage, barred from leaving their province and sometimes even their homes by the world’s largest digital surveillance apparatus.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
In a recent study published in Nature Aging, researchers at UC San Francisco sought to identify the molecular troublemakers that cause our brains to age prematurely.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
They may be passed up for promotions or labeled as troublemakers.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
The Hooligan Who Rewrote the Rules Kea parrots are already famous for being troublemakers.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
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
My great-grandfather said that the next day, the whole town celebrated because the troublemakers were gone.
—Masha Hamilton, Longreads, 19 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
Across China, tens of thousands of people tagged as troublemakers like the Yangs are trapped in a digital cage, barred from leaving their province and sometimes even their homes by the world’s largest digital surveillance apparatus.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
In a recent study published in Nature Aging, researchers at UC San Francisco sought to identify the molecular troublemakers that cause our brains to age prematurely.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemakers
Noun
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Aaron escapes his torturers, first by rooting himself in the town’s only movie theater open to Black people, and then by lying about his age and enlisting in the Navy at 16.—
Meredith Maran,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Incredibly, one of Schiller's torturers, Jorge Delgado - the Sun Gym member who had first told Lugo about Schiller and his millions - ended up helping the federal government make their case.—
Troy Roberts,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Still, the star did not name her harassers.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
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Most harassers do not harass others in front of someone else.—
Briana Mascaro,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Rhys teases of the finale’s contents.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
11 June 2026
-
During that time, Flair and Ripley have largely been on the same page, but there have been plenty of teases of tension as well.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
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In January, a DHS official sent a memo to some federal immigration agents temporarily assigned to Minneapolis instructing them to collect personal information about protesters and agitators, including license plates, identifications and images, according to CNN reporting.—
Jude Joffe-Block,
NPR,
10 June 2026
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Shocking video captured the moments anti-ICE agitators were arrested outside Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, Friday, during riotous confrontations.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Troublemakers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemakers. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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