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 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, 7 Oct. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateurs

Noun

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

Definition of 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

Khalilzad on Friday wrote on X that there had been reports of Pakistan arming Afghans to fight the Taliban inside Afghanistan and of the Pakistani military recruiting Afghans to fight anti-Pakistan insurgents.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
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

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

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

Some proponents of tighter regulation will accept incremental progress, while others push for more sweeping change.

— Barbara A. Trish, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
But proponents say including bird-friendly glass from the beginning can increase a large development’s total budget by less than 1%.

— Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of proponents

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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provocateurs

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“Provocateurs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateurs. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of provocateurs

noun

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