variants
also demagog
as in agitator
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
that politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people's fears and prejudices
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demagogue
Trump can be seen as a bastion of free trade for the Silicon Valley capitalists, a beacon of white Christian America to the heartland Evangelicals, and a fascist demagogue to the blood and soil nationalists.
—
Ryan Broderick, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Studies show that as a result of these cycles, Americans on the left and right have developed an exaggerated sense of the other side’s hostility, exactly as some political demagogues intend.
—Adam G. Klein, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025
That’s in no way a movement that could sweep the midterms and then be harnessed by a charismatic demagogue to remake an entire political party.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Their innovation is to replace the demagogue’s roar with the bureaucrat’s moral superiority.
—Alexis Coe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Ryan Broderick, Rolling Stone, 24 Nov. 2025
Studies show that as a result of these cycles, Americans on the left and right have developed an exaggerated sense of the other side’s hostility, exactly as some political demagogues intend.
—Adam G. Klein, The Conversation, 12 Nov. 2025
That’s in no way a movement that could sweep the midterms and then be harnessed by a charismatic demagogue to remake an entire political party.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025
Their innovation is to replace the demagogue’s roar with the bureaucrat’s moral superiority.
—Alexis Coe, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demagogue
Noun
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Sanders, who turned 84 in September, seems to have earned immunity from the party’s anti-gerontocratic agitators.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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First, there is the growing volume of anti-Wikipedia sentiment from right-wing agitators.—
Imogen West-Knights,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The political firebrand’s career, spanning 46 years in City Hall, came to an end last month when newcomer Rolando Escalona won the District 3 seat that Carollo and his younger brother Frank had occupied since 2009.—
Tess Riski
January 30,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
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In the 1980s, right-wing firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant claimed that the AIDS epidemic was a plague sent by God to punish gay people.—
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Lucas’s focus on getting paid brings him in for the book’s harshest criticism; Fischer casts him as a rebel turned sellout.—
Michael O’Donnell,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
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On the other hand, Bennu is the rebel — its glycine likely originated in frozen ice exposed to harsh radiation in the outer reaches of the solar system.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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One question has bothered Martin Ludlow in his decades as a concert and event promoter in Los Angeles.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Independent producers and promoters rent its venues for their performances and events.—
E. Andrew Taylor,
The Conversation,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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However, Joyner isn't a proponent of doing so, if possible.—
Sarah Lyon,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
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Count Doyle as a proponent of the Rockies’ outfield options as Colorado looks for ways to show progress following a disastrous 119-loss season in 2025.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The official channels to Censori have run through her husband’s company Yeezy, where Censori leads the architecture department, and through Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right provocateur who had worked on Ye’s 2024 presidential campaign.—
Anna Peele,
Vanity Fair,
6 Feb. 2026
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There were right-wing provocateurs coming to town.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Progressive senators are wading into Democratic primaries across the country, at times breaking from their leaders to back more left-leaning or insurgent candidates — with the notable exception of Texas.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Those funds often backed far-right Republican insurgents.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From 52 to 55 CE, the apostle Saint Paul spent three years here preaching the Gospel and is said to have brought Mary, the mother of Jesus, here to spend her final days.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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Royal blue, oxblood, and gold paint illuminated the creation of Adam and the temptation of Eve—the couple who give the place its name, the Crypt of the Original Sin—along with various apostles and archangels.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demagogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demagogue. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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