PROVOCATEURS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

provocateurs

noun

plural of provocateur

as in agitators

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of provocateurs The faux outrage was egged on by professional right-wing provocateurs like Robby Starbuck, Benny Johnson and a leading investor in MAGA darling Steak n’ Shake. — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs. — Anna Marks, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 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. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026 Alliances with independents and provocateurs can bring younger crowds to the traditional news fold in an era when such viewership is not guaranteed. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026 For 15 years as a member of French psych pop provocateurs La Femme, Magnée and band members were walking billboards for retro chic fashion. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 14 Apr. 2026 The character of McCrum’s images is also quite different than that of the ones in the fictional Brainrot, whose sleek, sensual images recall the highly polished work of provocateurs like Torbjørn Rødland and Heji Shin. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 13 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateurs

Noun

Some of the speculation comes from state workers who are unhappy with the governor’s decision, the moderator said, but the subreddit’s activity also attracts outside agitators who are obviously not government employees.

— William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026
Top-load washers with agitators or impellers clean tough fabrics well by physically moving clothes to loosen dirt.

— Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 20 July 2026

Definition of agitators

Noun

Oil prices are rising after the United States conducted an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets and Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to disrupt a crucial escape hatch for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.

— Arpita Dasika, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Strait of Hormuz remains key A new pressure point could emerge for world energy markets as Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced on Monday a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia.

— Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

One of the insurgents, a doctoral student in sociology named Darializa Avila Chevalier, is far more emblematic of the DSA’s radicalism.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
So far though, the prediction market insurgents have not meaningfully cut into sportsbook profits.

— Bobby Allyn, NPR, 17 July 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

Four decades after buying his first ring, Goodall remains the man trusted by boxing’s biggest promoters and biggest stars.

— Chris McKenna, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Plaintiffs alleged that the event promoters were negligent in failing to secure required permits, not providing adequate security or crowd control and misrepresenting the event as safe for families, according to the statement.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of promoters

Noun

Verma noted that these centered around policy or ideological disagreements, which allowed the government to rally its supporters with counter-narratives.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
Before the ceremony, nominees, performers, presenters and supporters gathered near the Black Carpet.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

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.

— Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.

— Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

But Zuckerberg might know something the measure’s proponents do not — or won’t admit.

— Jared Walczak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026
The bill’s legislative proponents argue the measure is a win for taxpayers, citing reductions in the cost of homeownership while maintaining funding for schools and other essential services.

— Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

Definition of proponents

Noun

It was said in jest, yet the sport’s most audacious instigators might take him up on it.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 23 July 2026
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra at the time downplayed the confrontation, with the Heat routinely making peace after acquiring former Heat instigators.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026

Definition of instigators

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provocateur

provocateurs

provocation

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“Provocateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateurs. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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noun

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