variants
also demagogs
as in agitators
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 demagogues
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
In the long term, this failure to address deep social problems contributes to the erosion of people’s trust in governments and institutions, breeding nihilism and an attraction to demagogues who claim to have easy answers.
—Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Without a robust legitimacy narrative, demagogues fill the vacuum.
—Annelise Riles, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 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
Our shrinking attention span has left us vulnerable to demagogues and misinformation from every direction.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2025
Because huge shocks to the system tend to empower either a) bold problem solvers or b) populist demagogues.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
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
In the long term, this failure to address deep social problems contributes to the erosion of people’s trust in governments and institutions, breeding nihilism and an attraction to demagogues who claim to have easy answers.
—Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Without a robust legitimacy narrative, demagogues fill the vacuum.
—Annelise Riles, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
In turn, the erosion of trust has weakened the social contract that sustains representative government, leaving democracies more vulnerable to populist demagogues, institutional paralysis, and the gradual normalization of authoritarian alternatives.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 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
Our shrinking attention span has left us vulnerable to demagogues and misinformation from every direction.
—Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 31 Aug. 2025
Because huge shocks to the system tend to empower either a) bold problem solvers or b) populist demagogues.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demagogues
Noun
-
Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Christian women wishing to reunite their families without calling for Hitler’s demise, or the release of all Jews, were harder for the regime to portray as political enemies or criminal agitators.—
Danielle Wirsansky,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
It was reserved only for slaves, criminals and political rebels.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Following the events of A Palace Near the Wind, Liu Lufeng and her siblings flee the Palace for the dangerous waters, which contain rebels, allies, and her sister Sangshu—though Sangshu’s conflicting loyalties may clash with Lufeng’s plan to keep them all safe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Known in research circles as authoritarian parenting, this style certainly has its proponents.—
Kelley King Heyworth,
Parents,
5 Apr. 2026
-
But for Project Plowshare’s biggest proponents, atomic excavation remained a worthwhile goal.—
The Conversation,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
To Alfredo De Avila, of the Oakland Center for Third World Organizing, the UFW’s claims that Communist insurgents are plotting against Chavez and his union highlight how far the UFW has fallen.—
Marcos Breton,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After the Justice Department memo, however, the president suggested there was nothing more to say about Epstein and the country, including his own supporters, should simply move on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The official campaign had focussed its resources on Iowa and New Hampshire, which left a late-primary state like New York with few channels for supporters’ enthusiasm.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Woodstock gave its name to a generation, but the concert itself was a debacle that nearly bankrupted its promoters.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Neither the artist’s team nor local promoters have issued an official statement regarding the cancellation or the rescheduling of the Milan concert, or possible adjustments to the immediate tour schedule.—
Franchesca Guim,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
An unexpectedly and profoundly unnecessary high price for the incendiary firebrands of the destructive new left.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Ken Paxton and Jasmine Crockett, both firebrands within their respective party primaries, are slated to watch results roll in just a mile apart in central Dallas.—
Samantha Ketterer,
Houston Chronicle,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lost in all the heated rhetoric is the fact that so much of this turmoil would have been avoided if federal detainers were simply honored within local jails and state prisons — away from the public and professional provocateurs who are drawn to uncivil cultural conflict like bees to honey.—
Bob Ehrlich,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The pair of social media provocateurs post their bizarre arguments and interactions with everyday New Yorkers, which usually end with them being chased down the street and out of bodegas and residential buildings.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Demagogues.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demagogues. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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