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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demagogue
When the populist demagogue Willie Stark orders Burden, journalist turned gumshoe, to dig up dirt on a local judge, Burden demurs; certainly there are no skeletons in the office of the good judge.
—
Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Certainly Arendt, who lived through arguably darker times, did not see them as merely a product of the era’s monstrous demagogues.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, bias incidents and assaults against Asian Americans soared to alarming heights as demagogues on the streets and in high office inflamed xenophobic fear and animosity.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Certainly Arendt, who lived through arguably darker times, did not see them as merely a product of the era’s monstrous demagogues.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, bias incidents and assaults against Asian Americans soared to alarming heights as demagogues on the streets and in high office inflamed xenophobic fear and animosity.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for demagogue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demagogue
Noun
-
Instead of removing the anti-free speech agitators, UNLV police escorted Peer off campus.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Instead of removing the anti-free speech agitators, UNLV police escorted Peer off campus.—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
About two months ago a US district court judge ruled that Kari Lake, the MAGA firebrand and election truther, had been illegally appointed to run the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
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All hell broke loose at Thursday's press conference when Khamzat Chimaev and firebrand Sean Strickland nearly turned a routine face-off into a street fight.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
In March, Washington sanctioned Rwanda’s defense forces and several senior officials, accusing them of funding the M23 rebels who have taken over mineral-rich areas of eastern DR Congo.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
15 May 2026
-
Chance understands why some kids rebel.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Live Nation Israel was formed in 2017 (along with Ticketmaster Israel) when the concert giant took majority ownership in Israeli concert-production company Bluestone, a joint venture between Guy Oseary, Madonna’s longtime manager, Beser, veteran Israeli promoter Shay Mor Yosef, and others.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
14 May 2026
-
Bambo follows a 1980s Brooklyn boxing promoter and his daughter.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When Bloomberg, a strong proponent of education reform, was seeking to increase the number of charter schools in the city, Jeffries co-sponsored a bill that more than doubled the state’s charter-school cap.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Those lagging sales, proponents of the theory argue, are largely driven by would-be concertgoers growing disillusioned with high ticket prices, while also facing inflation and oversaturation.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
He was also marked as a dangerous provocateur by Cuban officials.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
His status as a self-aware, hyper-online provocateur may not seem to suggest the makings of a bona fide filmmaker, but just wait.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
15 May 2026
Noun
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But even larger numbers of socially conservative white working-class voters in Wales, Scotland and northern England — the traditional bedrock of Labour’s support — switched to Reform, the insurgent party founded by Nigel Farage, the renowned Brexit campaigner.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
13 May 2026
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According to the military, security forces launched an operation in the province’s district of Barkhan to rout out insurgents that Islamabad claims are backed by India.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The New Testament does contain positive depictions of Pharisees — Levine points to Nicodemus, who defended Jesus and helped bury him, and Gamaliel, who advocated for the apostles Peter and John.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
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Or perhaps the President would have been satisfied enough with Peter, one of Jesus’ original twelve apostles, whom many consider to be the first Pope.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demagogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demagogue. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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