agent provocateur

noun

Definition of agent provocateurnext
as in rebel

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Example Sentences

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 agent provocateur The Italian Marco Materazzi was an agent provocateur, tossing out words about Zidane’s family like a grenade set to spew forth a red mist. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026 And for good reason; Villanueva spent his four years in office more as an agent provocateur than a public safety official. — The Editorial Board, Daily News, 13 May 2026 Members of the crowd accused Epps of being an agent provocateur, which later helped spur the conspiracy theories about him. — Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2024 Anyone who maligns the sultan is immediately thought to be an agent provocateur working for the sultan, and probably is. — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent provocateur
  1. rebel
  2. insurgent
  3. extremist
  4. troublemaker
  5. revolutionary
  6. booster
  7. promoter
  8. apostle
Noun
  • The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for Gulf oil shipments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • Raman, who now occupies the insurgent role in the race, seemed to see the fires less as an indictment of the system than of Bass.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Rwanda has acknowledged defensive “security coordinationâ€� with the M23 insurgents, who have held large swaths of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo for more than a year.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Muslim students should not be expected to answer for extremists who claim to speak in the name of Islam.
    — Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The groups similarly present themselves as armed community defenders against the government or right-wing extremists, but continue to find members who get in trouble with law enforcement.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of extremist
Noun
  • The protests against the underfunding of schools — many of them struggling with dilapidated facilities and insufficient staff — have drawn troublemakers not concerned about the aims of the protest movement as well as unions and political groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Hiller plays Aldrict, an old-world vampire who has crossed paths with Liz several times over the centuries and is a bit of a troublemaker.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of troublemaker
Noun
  • The great innovator of fashion photography, the revolutionary, was also a strict traditionalist.
    — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Chambers is a trust-fund revolutionary with unusually deep pockets.
    — Rich Cohen, Air Mail, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolutionary
Noun
  • The plan includes a $330 million manufacturing expansion, additional launch pads, and new facilities for payload processing and booster refurbishment.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Laundry Bundle includes a pack of detergent sheets, fabric softener sheets and in-wash scent booster beads.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of booster
Noun
  • Last year, the company dipped its toes into the live events world, serving as the promoter for boy group P1Harmony’s tour — the boy group is slated to perform Saturday at 82World.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Before long, a promoter recruited her for his stable of touring female wrestlers.
    — Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • Despite the church’s efforts, male Catholic bishops whose identities have not been publicly revealed later ordained two of the women as bishops with the aim of preserving the line of succession from Jesus’ apostles to present-day bishops.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Every night, after Jesus died on the cross, my apostles gently helped me down from the chain-link fence to which I had been lashed.
    — Victor Garber, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of apostle

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Cite this Entry

“Agent provocateur.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent%20provocateur. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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