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
Leave it to Virat Kohli, India's talismanic batter who doubles as a renowned provocateur, to try to light a fire under his beleaguered team.
—
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
There are these cliché observations about Bob: Bob the mysterious enigma, Bob the playful provocateur.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
There are many probable causes of our eastward drift: the failures of globalization, the betrayals of technological progress, cultural anomie, the provocateurs who profit from the sense that the world is about to burn.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
This obsession would define his career, earning him a reputation as a provocateur in the fashion world.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
There are these cliché observations about Bob: Bob the mysterious enigma, Bob the playful provocateur.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024
There are many probable causes of our eastward drift: the failures of globalization, the betrayals of technological progress, cultural anomie, the provocateurs who profit from the sense that the world is about to burn.
—Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
This obsession would define his career, earning him a reputation as a provocateur in the fashion world.
—Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for provocateur
Recent Examples of Synonyms for provocateur
Noun
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On the battlefield, the nobles’ cavalry and superior artillery brutally cut down the rebels.—
Michael Bruening,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
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The rebels on Friday also claimed to have seized a second airport in the region, in the town of Kavumu outside Bukavu.—
JUSTIN KABUMBA,
arkansasonline.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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My team and the promoters are already working on a new date to communicate to you.—
Tracy Wright,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
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The singer noted the show will be postponed to a later date and said her team is working with the concert promoter on rescheduling.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Reviewed, a consumer product review website, shared a post explaining how socks can go missing in top-loading machines: They can get lodged under the agitator (the: pole in the middle of the washer).—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
8 Jan. 2025
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At first, the government tried to ignore the protests, then began to use force and accused the protests of being infiltrated by foreign agitators.—
Chris Massaro,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The 43-year-old former football player has been a longtime, outspoken proponent of LGBTQ rights.—
David K. Li,
NBC News,
20 Feb. 2025
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Indirect-cost rates are controversial: The proportion of NIH funding that has gone to them has grown over time, and proponents of trimming overhead argue that doing so would make research more efficient.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the 6th District, Trump is backing state Sen. Randy Fine, a conservative firebrand known for his support of Israel and his efforts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights.—
Kate Payne,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Jan. 2025
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Despite his resignation from Congress, the House Ethics Committee released a report on the panel’s roughly three-and-a-half-year investigation into the firebrand Florida Republican.—
Sarah Fortinsky,
The Hill,
7 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But business allies and supporters of tech companies criticized the announcement.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN,
20 Feb. 2025
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The arrest was triggered by tips to Austrian intelligence that a supporter of IS had posted stories and videos with Islamic extremist content on several TikTok profiles.—
Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports,
arkansasonline.com,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That’s classically how a demagogue works and how a demagogue becomes a tyrant.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
22 Feb. 2025
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Many Latines who are conservative in the U.S. come from countries where similar right-wing demagogues were elected in the last decade.—
Nicole Froio,
refinery29.com,
6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Britain, under the comparatively liberal Keir Starmer, has a rather more niche anxiety: that its citizens will leave and then return as insurgents.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
24 Jan. 2025
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Pakistani security forces killed 27 insurgents during a raid on a militant hideout, according to a statement from the country's military.—
John Mac Ghlionn,
Newsweek,
13 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to provocateur
Cite this Entry
“Provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/provocateur. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
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