as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts
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Recent Examples of firebrands
The 2026 midterms are already being shaken up by populist firebrands and antiestablishment outsiders.
—
James Desio,
Washington Post,
15 May 2026
Since arriving on the scene almost a decade ago, the trio have presented themselves as firebrands, ready to stick it to an establishment seeking to strangle the last remnants of 20th century Irish republicanism.
—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
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
Inmates including Sam Bankman-Fried and Harvey Weinstein have turned to such right-wing firebrands as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to present alternative narratives to their cases.
—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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
Trump’s proposal echoes a long-standing push by progressive Democrats and a few conservative firebrands on Capitol Hill to implement credit card interest rate caps, which would limit the fee a card issuer can charge consumers who carry a balance past their due date.
—
Sudiksha Kochi,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2026
While Collier and Stewart have accepted the duty to be labor firebrands, one of their UConn teammates, Morgan Tuck, is making her mark on the management side, as the youngest GM in the WNBA.
—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
15 Jan. 2026
James Desio,
Washington Post,
15 May 2026
Since arriving on the scene almost a decade ago, the trio have presented themselves as firebrands, ready to stick it to an establishment seeking to strangle the last remnants of 20th century Irish republicanism.
—
Dean Van Nguyen,
Pitchfork,
30 Apr. 2026
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
Inmates including Sam Bankman-Fried and Harvey Weinstein have turned to such right-wing firebrands as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to present alternative narratives to their cases.
—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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
Trump’s proposal echoes a long-standing push by progressive Democrats and a few conservative firebrands on Capitol Hill to implement credit card interest rate caps, which would limit the fee a card issuer can charge consumers who carry a balance past their due date.
—
Sudiksha Kochi,
The Hill,
15 Jan. 2026
While Collier and Stewart have accepted the duty to be labor firebrands, one of their UConn teammates, Morgan Tuck, is making her mark on the management side, as the youngest GM in the WNBA.
—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands
Noun
-
And the old person who rebels is ridiculous.
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There was relative peace for 11 years, until a second civil war erupted in 1983, when leaders in Khartoum imposed sharia (Islamic) law and accelerated repression of the southern Christian rebels, which ultimately allowed a ruthless military officer, Omar al-Bashir, to come to power in 1989.
Noun
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Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country's conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally.
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White attributed most of the hateful comments to online agitators rather than true WNBA or Indiana Fever fans.
Noun
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But those standards can be easily stretched by demagogues, and a simple majority on the committee is enough to ban a party, though a panel of nine Supreme Court justices can overturn the decision on appeal.
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But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.
Noun
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Stream-access proponents took a similar approach in 2010, after a landowner on the Taylor River strung cables from bank to bank to keep a rafting company from floating down.
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Many proponents believe that access to affordable models will act as a leveler, allowing smaller enterprises to innovate, test, and gain insights in ways previously that were previously much more challenging.
Noun
-
Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long seen clashes between security forces, insurgents and drug smugglers.
-
Nine American soldiers died and 27 others were injured while fighting a battle against 200 Taliban insurgents in the village of Wanat in Afghanistan’s Waygal Valley.
Noun
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The House passed a bipartisan package of children’s online safety bills in a 267-117 vote Monday, advancing legislation that supporters say would better protect children online but critics warn could threaten privacy and free expression.
-
Meanwhile, singing anthems at England national team matches is nothing new for English supporters.
Noun
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As genetics, psychology, and neuroscience ascended, the twentieth century sent physiognomy back into disrepute, and today, from Lavater to Lombroso, its promoters may seem a racist shade of quaint.
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The biggest issue is the promoters that, for lack of a better word, don’t really understand what their job is, who are perpetuating the issue by rewarding the young men and women that are going out of their way to do these crazy things – jumping off of balconies, crazy moves every match.
Noun
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Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs.
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Just a funny parasocial back-and-forth between some of the most passionate fans in sports and one of the best provocateurs the SEC has seen since Steve Spurrier.
Cite this Entry
“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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