as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent
a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake
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Recent Examples of provocateur
With her buzz cut and Bikini Kill T-shirt, Brie Larson’s Elektra is presented as a rebel, a provocateur, and the kind of obsessively angry soul who might well carry her microphone around town in order to besmirch her mother and berate the world.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Johansen has long been a beloved figure on the New York scene, beginning with his time as the lead singer and provocateur of the gender-bending New York Dolls.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025
The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration.
—Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
What started in Washington in 2015 as a Congressional bloc, led by provocateurs like Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, has radiated into the states, inspiring similar movements in a dozen legislatures, including in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Idaho and Arizona.
—Will Warasila, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2025
Johansen has long been a beloved figure on the New York scene, beginning with his time as the lead singer and provocateur of the gender-bending New York Dolls.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2025
The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration.
—Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
What started in Washington in 2015 as a Congressional bloc, led by provocateurs like Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, has radiated into the states, inspiring similar movements in a dozen legislatures, including in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Idaho and Arizona.
—Will Warasila, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
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In confrontations with both India and Iran, Pakistan has consistently denied offering safe haven to transnational rebels at a time when the country was struggling to stem a deadly wave of attacks by insurgents against its own soldiers and civilians.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
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Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.—
Aijaz Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The merger proposal drew concern from competing concert promoters and venue owners, who claimed at the time that combining Ticketmaster and Live Nation would force them to work with their largest competitor.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2025
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The concept of WrestleMania was created by Vince McMahon, a second-generation wrestling promoter who served as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for four decades before resigning from his role with the company in 2024.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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On Monday night, anti-Israel agitators with the group Within Our Lifetime (WOL) protested in the train station’s main concourse.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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This event is being driven by left-wing extremists and paid agitators with a clear agenda.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Prospective visitors, along with park proponents, are concerned about what the parks and experiences may look like after the sweeping layoffs across the National Park Service and the larger federal government in February.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Lutnick, a wealthy businessman and key Trump campaign ally, has long been a proponent of using tariffs on imports from other countries to spur American manufacturing and penalize trade policies he’s deemed unfavorable.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The senator’s appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is consistent with his popularity among young progressives who admire him as an uncompromising and outspoken firebrand.—
Matthew Mpoke Bigg,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
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Buchanan wore his Nixon loyalty as a badge of honor throughout his career as a conservative firebrand.—
Made by History,
TIME,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In a statement posted to X, Taylor congratulated Lee and acknowledged the impact of his supporters.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
21 Apr. 2025
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Some supporters even lost the will to protest, feeling nothing will change.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And so political leaders, demagogues in particular, can provide simple answers to things that seem very complicated and that stir people in a way that can be directed.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
22 Feb. 2025
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That’s classically how a demagogue works and how a demagogue becomes a tyrant.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, the insurgents attacking the American soldiers are truly faceless.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
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The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents.—
Fred Schruers,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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