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
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
With warm summer waters still lingering in the North Sea, plant operators and marine scientists will be watching closely for the next unpredictable wave of these gelatinous troublemakers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2025
Krampus isn’t all bad, though, as his deployment of corporal punishment is intended to drive troublemakers into a life of virtue.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
Or deck out your house with nifty security devices like video doorbells and indoor cameras to keep an eye on pets, kids, and other troublemakers.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Workers, too, are increasingly leery of their employers, who, for their part, see those fighting for greater freedom of association as troublemakers.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
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
With warm summer waters still lingering in the North Sea, plant operators and marine scientists will be watching closely for the next unpredictable wave of these gelatinous troublemakers.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2025
Krampus isn’t all bad, though, as his deployment of corporal punishment is intended to drive troublemakers into a life of virtue.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 22 Nov. 2024
Or deck out your house with nifty security devices like video doorbells and indoor cameras to keep an eye on pets, kids, and other troublemakers.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024
Workers, too, are increasingly leery of their employers, who, for their part, see those fighting for greater freedom of association as troublemakers.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemakers
Noun
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For decades, generals, coup-plotters, and torturers walked free under the shield of amnesty laws passed after the country’s 21-year dictatorship.—
Julia Vargas Jones,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Each regime, from the Pahlavi dynasty to the Islamic Republic, claimed to uphold human rights and castigated its predecessors as torturers, only to ratchet up the incarceration of political opponents.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Project Runway star shared teases of herself wearing green paint and prosthetics.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Nov. 2025
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Season one may only be six episodes, but it’s padded out with meandering subplots, vague teases for a second-season mystery, and one overly long and slow-motion-dependent scene at a nightclub.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Meg has posted several teasers of the track earlier in October before slapping an official release date on the Total-sampling single.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
24 Oct. 2025
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Welch announced their album Everybody Scream back in August, following a few cryptic teasers.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Troublemakers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemakers. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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