troublemakers

noun

plural of troublemaker
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.

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 troublemakers Speaking at the 9/11 memorial ceremony, the son of one of the victims, in an impassioned plea, called on troublemakers to stop using the day to spread Islamophobia and hate. — Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026 And all you Chicken Jockey popcorn-throwing troublemakers — your impact on moviedom has been swept from the theater. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026 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 This year’s milestone edition furthers that legacy by pairing foundational film voices with the next generation of artistic troublemakers. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 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 The book looked at the world of a swath of Irish women emigrants who were deemed troublemakers, highlighting that for a period of time, Irish women outnumbered Irish men in prison. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026 Meanwhile, younger brother Sam begins to suspect that Michael's new friends are not merely troublemakers, but vampires. — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemakers
  1. torturers
  2. harassers
  3. teases
  4. agitators
Noun
  • Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of torturers
Noun
  • White stars can help by publicly supporting their Black colleagues, who are especially targeted by online trolls and harassers.
    — Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Still, the star did not name her harassers.
    — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 22 May 2026
Definition of harassers
Noun
  • The final exchange is honestly the strangest and teases what’s in store for this week’s SNL episode.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Even in the age of algorithms, short attention spans and TikTok teases, Warren Buffett continued to profit with his patient bargain-hunting approach while offering folksy advice on investing and life.
    — Josh Funk, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of teases
Noun
  • The incident came as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescue workers in the process.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Among the agitators were the workers at Sytin’s Moscow publishing house.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of agitators

Browse Nearby Words

troublemaker
troublemakers
troublemaking
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Troublemakers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemakers. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All