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In "provocateur," a word borrowed directly from French, one sees the English verb "provoke." Both "provoke" and "provocateur" derive from Latin provocare, meaning "to call forth." Why do we say "provocateur" for one who incites another to action, instead of simply "provoker"? Perhaps it's because of "agent provocateur," a term of French origin that literally means "provoking agent." Both "agent provocateur" and the shortened "provocateur" can refer to someone (such as an undercover police officer or a political operative) whose job is to incite people to break the law so that they can be arrested, but only "provocateur" is used in English with the more general sense of "one who provokes."
Examples of provocateur in a Sentence
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025
Kirk also earned a national reputation as a far-right provocateur.
—Paul Egan, Freep.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Kirk was a provocateur, no doubt.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
The former Fox News anchor began a livestream of The Megyn Kelly Show to discuss the shooting of the conservative provocateur and reacted to the news of his death while broadcasting alongside right-wing commentator Glenn Beck.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provocateur. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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