AGITATORS Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

agitators

noun

plural of agitator

as in rebels

a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the government

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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 agitators Scores of pages of planning documents and social media posts analyzed by Fox News Digital reveal that agitators have laid the groundwork for a coordinated campaign with money, logistics and a communications infrastructure behind their efforts. — Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 The ranks of the protesters have also swelled to include some more opportunistic looters and agitators. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 19 Oct. 2026 Advertisement As protests intensified, state media unleashed a frenzied smear campaign, casting Egyptian protesters as foreign agents and outside agitators. — Abdelrahman Elgendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 The incident came as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescue workers in the process. — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Among the agitators were the workers at Sytin’s Moscow publishing house. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 In Portsmouth, a group of far-right agitators first attempted to stop lifeboats from bringing the migrants onshore before seeking to block buses from taking the asylum seekers to a processing facility. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026 Now, Bartko fears death in a Kansas prison cell or deportation to Belarus, where her friends have been prosecuted as political agitators. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 For several years before the IAU vote, there had been agitators among the astronomical community lobbying for our solar system's nine worlds to become eight, and for Pluto's planetary status to be revoked. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators

Noun

Ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, however, still face attacks from Iran, while the Bab el-Mandeb Strait near Yemen has been threatened by the Houthi rebels.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
The war next door United Nations experts have documented Rwandan military support for M23 rebels, which have seized territory in eastern DRC.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of rebels

Noun

Gavroche and the insurgents of 1832—the wretched who became rioters—were ready to die defending a particular vision of the republic against the July Monarchy and the usurper Louis-Philippe.

— Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
Ethiopia also accuses Eritrea of supporting insurgents and occupying Ethiopian territory, allegations the AP could not independently verify.

— KHALED KAZZIHA, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of insurgents

Noun

One section of bleachers directly behind the lectern and in the eye of the cameras was filled with supporters who looked young enough to be Florida Gulf Coast undergrads.

— Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
On Saturday, both are expected to take tens of thousands of supporters to the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in their last effort before the runoff.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of supporters

Noun

Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.

— Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Hilton’s edgy attitude and pugnacious put-downs would place him right at home among the network’s collection of trolls, provocateurs and Democrat-bashing gargoyles.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of provocateurs

Noun

Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of demagogues

Noun

Luis Suarez was one of the instigators, spit on a Sounders official, and was punished with six-game Leagues Cup suspension, which means the Uruguayan forward is banned from the entire 2026 tournament.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of instigators

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“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of agitators

noun

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