In "provocateur," a word borrowed directly from French, one sees the English verb "provoke." Both "provoke" and "provocateur" derive from Latin provocare, meaning "to call forth." Why do we say "provocateur" for one who incites another to action, instead of simply "provoker"? Perhaps it's because of "agent provocateur," a term of French origin that literally means "provoking agent." Both "agent provocateur" and the shortened "provocateur" can refer to someone (such as an undercover police officer or a political operative) whose job is to incite people to break the law so that they can be arrested, but only "provocateur" is used in English with the more general sense of "one who provokes."
a calculating provocateur, she has made a career out of controversy for its own sake
Recent Examples on the WebPhotographs by Platon May 2, 2024 2:15 PM EDT
Platon proudly calls himself a cultural provocateur.—TIME, 2 May 2024 Together with faculty, students have trained in de-escalation strategies to protect the campus from provocateurs who have arrived seeking conflict.—Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024 In this intense tale from provocateur Joel Potrykus, two friends embark on a disturbing mission in the Michigan woods.—Jack Dunn, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024 Politics in brief Trump world rift: Right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk was key to the successful effort to oust RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, but his own conduct is now under the microscope from some Trump allies.—Josh Feldman, NBC News, 18 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for provocateur
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'provocateur.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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