as in agitator
a person who causes trouble; a person who creates problems or difficulties involving other people
He had the reputation of being a troublemaker in high school.
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Recent Examples of troublemaker
Fishing with his father and grandfather was a welcome release, but school brought out his inner troublemaker.
—
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The show, set in Chicago, starred O’Neill as women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, Sagal as his wife Peggy, Applegate as not-so-bright daughter Kelly and Faustino as troublemaker son Bud.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Photograph courtesy Peter Matthiessen estate The second of three children, Matthiessen was the resident troublemaker.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Sometimes there’s a kid who is labeled a ‘troublemaker’ who just needs to be heard.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The show, set in Chicago, starred O’Neill as women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, Sagal as his wife Peggy, Applegate as not-so-bright daughter Kelly and Faustino as troublemaker son Bud.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Photograph courtesy Peter Matthiessen estate The second of three children, Matthiessen was the resident troublemaker.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Sometimes there’s a kid who is labeled a ‘troublemaker’ who just needs to be heard.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
Noun
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Sanders, who turned 84 in September, seems to have earned immunity from the party’s anti-gerontocratic agitators.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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First, there is the growing volume of anti-Wikipedia sentiment from right-wing agitators.—
Imogen West-Knights,
The Dial,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In keeping with the travel tease of the film, its couples — including the presumptive one — head north to Siena and Gia’s family’s home.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
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The first tease from the film touches on that issue, with the help of photos.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Check out Fiona Shaw and more in the teaser from The Education of Jane Cumming here.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
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This one even has two separate teasers.—
Omar L. Gallaga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Little has been accomplished, and Labour’s woes seem likely to benefit the Reform Party, a new nationalist, populist outfit led by the Brexit instigator Nigel Farage.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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The instigators were allowed to go beyond peaceful protests to hindering law enforcement from doing their job which escalated with the result of two people tragically losing their lives.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
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Moreover, when harassers disproportionately target women, people of color and LGBTQ officials, entire communities are systematically excluded from participation in self-governance.—
Ernestine Nettles,
Mercury News,
22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Troublemaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaker. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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