agitators

noun

plural of agitator
as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the government

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 agitators Some of the speculation comes from state workers who are unhappy with the governor’s decision, the moderator said, but the subreddit’s activity also attracts outside agitators who are obviously not government employees. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2026 Top-load washers with agitators or impellers clean tough fabrics well by physically moving clothes to loosen dirt. — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 20 July 2026 Across the country, agitators on the left and the right are increasingly flirting with antisemitic tropes, conspiracy theories and in-jokes to bring in new followers. — Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Videos showed police beating back agitators with batons and deploying anti-riot ordnance as the demonstrators chanted against the country's conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a massive political rally. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 White attributed most of the hateful comments to online agitators rather than true WNBA or Indiana Fever fans. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 The majority of speakers at Tuesday’s board meeting urged the board not to allow online agitators to dictate personnel decisions. — Ciara McCarthy 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 June 2026 In recent years, agitators have fueled anti-immigration street violence following crimes committed by, or falsely reported to have been committed by, immigrants. — ABC News, 23 June 2026 Over the past decade, Osees have reinvented themselves as prog-metal warriors, hardcore agitators, and synth-punk freaks, investing each new permutation with the same degree of blitzkrieg aggression. — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitators
  1. rebels
  2. insurgents
  3. supporters
  4. provocateurs
  5. promoters
  6. proponents
  7. demagogues
  8. instigators
Noun
  • Yemen's military said the rebels targeted both the port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones, but did not provide further details.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The clash, which occurred on Monday in the Sakaba council area of Kebbi state, also left two civilians and 17 of the rebels dead, police spokesperson Bashir Usman said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebels
Noun
  • Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2014.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Tuesday’s primaries refused to settle into one of the storylines written in the weeks after Colorado’s primaries, where insurgents in both parties wildly overperformed.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgents
Noun
  • But Craig's supporters have argued that the four-term congresswoman is the more electable candidate, especially as Flanagan has been tied to the Minnesota governor's handling of the multimillion-dollar fraud schemes in the state.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Martin Farr, a contemporary historian at Newcastle University, said Farage will probably come out of the election strengthened, at least in the eyes of his supporters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of supporters
Noun
  • The faux outrage was egged on by professional right-wing provocateurs like Robby Starbuck, Benny Johnson and a leading investor in MAGA darling Steak n’ Shake.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Global organizations navigate a complex landscape, prompting boards to evolve beyond traditional oversight into strategic provocateurs.
    — Anna Marks, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of provocateurs
Noun
  • The idea sometimes asserted by promoters that asset protection planning can allow a person to decrease their insurance coverage is false.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • But in Southern California’s wealthy foothill enclaves, event promoters are regularly transforming these types of regal estates into weekend party houses filled with young people who are willing to pay to enter.
    — Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of promoters
Noun
  • Andrew Sweetman, the Scottish marine biogeochemist who led the work, hadn’t made such claims, but he was still pilloried by fellow-scientists, and proponents of mining accused him of being an anti-mining crusader.
    — James Dinneen, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The proponents of those ideas believe that spreading them can shift the boundaries of debate — that nothing else will do so in a media environment where conservatives hold enormous power.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of proponents
Noun
  • But those standards can be easily stretched by demagogues, and a simple majority on the committee is enough to ban a party, though a panel of nine Supreme Court justices can overturn the decision on appeal.
    — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • But demeaning our brand through association with vulgar demagogues is a losing strategy.
    — Alma Hernandez, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Definition of demagogues
Noun
  • Luis Suarez was one of the instigators, spit on a Sounders official, and was punished with six-game Leagues Cup suspension, which means the Uruguayan forward is banned from the entire 2026 tournament.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
  • It was said in jest, yet the sport’s most audacious instigators might take him up on it.
    — Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of instigators

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agitator
agitators
agleam
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Cite this Entry

“Agitators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitators. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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