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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of provocateur
While some men are jumping on board, the most popular of these creators—which range from nobodies doing voiceovers to far-right provocateurs like Candance Owens and Megyn Kelly—are women speaking to other women.
—
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2025
The skepticism had some basis—Gaga really did borrow from musical provocateurs before her (the foremost being, yes, Madonna).
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Two months before Baldwin was scheduled to go on trial for Hutchins’ death, he also was caught in another viral clip, trying not to lose his temper in his neighborhood coffee shop when he was confronted by another social media provocateur.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
As evidence seems to implicate Russian agents in the attack, Mullen grows obsessed with a leftist hacktivist collective, a provocateur talk show host (Dan Stevens) who fans the conspiratorial flames and an extremist tech billionaire (Gaby Hoffman) who would be happy to tear the whole system down.
—Chris Vognar, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2025
The skepticism had some basis—Gaga really did borrow from musical provocateurs before her (the foremost being, yes, Madonna).
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Two months before Baldwin was scheduled to go on trial for Hutchins’ death, he also was caught in another viral clip, trying not to lose his temper in his neighborhood coffee shop when he was confronted by another social media provocateur.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2025
As evidence seems to implicate Russian agents in the attack, Mullen grows obsessed with a leftist hacktivist collective, a provocateur talk show host (Dan Stevens) who fans the conspiratorial flames and an extremist tech billionaire (Gaby Hoffman) who would be happy to tear the whole system down.
—Chris Vognar, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
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Its members include Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Yemen's Houthi rebels.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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The new campaign of airstrikes started after the rebels threatened to resume targeting Israeli ships over Israel’s blocking of aid entering the Gaza Strip.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
14 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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Loomer’s Role in Firings: The firing of national security officials on the advice of Laura Loomer, a far-right agitator and conspiracy theorist, unsettled even some veteran Trump officials.—
Michael D. Shear,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Northerners were seen as outside agitators, trying to spread the notion that Black literacy was a good idea.—
Peter Greene,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, proponents believe navel pulling can offer all these benefits and enhance overall vitality.2 Much of this practice is rooted in Ayurveda, an alternative approach to medicine that has existed for thousands of years.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
26 Mar. 2025
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Musk and other autonomous vehicle proponents have pushed for simpler rules and exemptions to restrictions on vehicles that don’t have human controls.—
Bloomberg,
The Mercury News,
25 Mar. 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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About forty per cent of the graduates of the Army’s infantry officer schools, Peri notes, come from the dati leumi, or nationalist Orthodox minority, many of them extremist yeshiva students and supporters of settlements.—
Bernard Avishai,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2025
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Dozens of Khalil supporters showed up at the New Jersey courtroom, necessitating an overflow room for those who wanted to watch the proceedings.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 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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His unit was in western Iraq, at a time of fierce fighting against insurgent forces and car bombs.—
Quil Lawrence,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2025
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But when the streets ominously clear out and their sniper is spotted, they're forced to engage in a fierce battle with al-Qaeda insurgents.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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