as in rebel
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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Recent Examples of agitator
That’s a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., whose holiday—yet another irony, probably sadder than the others but no less natural an outgrowth of this nation’s continually multiplying paradoxes—was made, this year, to share space with the unstinting agitator of the Central Park Five.
—
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Following the Barnard students’ expulsion, more than 50 anti-Israel agitators took over a building on Barnard’s campus, echoing last year’s takeover of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2025
These washers use a gentle tumbling action instead of the harsher action of a center agitator in a top-loading washer.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2025
The tech billionaire has called for new elections in the U.K., criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and voicing support for the Reform Party and far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson, an anti-immigrant agitator.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
Following the Barnard students’ expulsion, more than 50 anti-Israel agitators took over a building on Barnard’s campus, echoing last year’s takeover of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.
—Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2025
These washers use a gentle tumbling action instead of the harsher action of a center agitator in a top-loading washer.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2025
The tech billionaire has called for new elections in the U.K., criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and voicing support for the Reform Party and far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson, an anti-immigrant agitator.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 6 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agitator
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitator
Noun
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Ooh, rendezvous with the hot rebel in the forest! 50.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Aiding the princess is a band of rebels led by the dashing Jonathan (Tony winner Andrew Burnap).—
Patrick Gomez,
EW.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And in Sunday’s unique atmosphere, embracing the moment in front of a vocal crowd of Yomiuri Giants supporters.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2025
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His daughter, Philippines Vice President Sara Duterte, visited him in the court's detention center Friday and met with supporters outside the court.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 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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The new firebrand of an acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia promises to bring sweeping changes to how the nation’s capital uses the city’s prosecutorial tools.—
Emily Hallas,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
9 Mar. 2025
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The firebrand Houston lawmaker’s colleagues voted 224-198 to hit him with what amounts to a slap on the wrist over his cane-waving interruption of Trump on Tuesday night.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In February 2024, Ayala announced the tour El Principio de un Final, which was not completed due to differences with the promoter.—
Tere Aguilera,
Billboard,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Money usually bets on the founder, not on the promoter.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Apple has long been a vocal proponent of the sanctity of its users’ personal data.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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George Fishman, senior legal fellow at the conservative Center of Immigration Studies and former deputy general counsel at Department of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration, has been a strong proponent of the act.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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While Syria's new rulers -- led by the Islamist former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham -- have pursued IS cells since taking power, some fear a breakdown in overall security that could allow the group to stage a resurgence.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Mar. 2025
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Turkey, a close ally of Mr. al-Shara’s rebel group, has for years sought to curb the power of the Syrian Democratic Forces, maintaining that the militia is linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents inside Turkey.—
Raja Abdulrahim,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitator. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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