firebrands

noun

plural of firebrand
as in rebels
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts

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 firebrands In a moment when voters increasingly reward populist firebrands, Becerra presents as calm, workmanlike, and maybe a little boring. — Ben Paviour august 17, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 If the conservative base continues to demand ideological purity, pushing polarizing firebrands into a general election, the result will always be an immediate, lopsided blowout. — Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026 The 2026 midterms are already being shaken up by populist firebrands and antiestablishment outsiders. — James Desio, Washington Post, 15 May 2026 Since arriving on the scene almost a decade ago, the trio have presented themselves as firebrands, ready to stick it to an establishment seeking to strangle the last remnants of 20th century Irish republicanism. — Dean Van Nguyen, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026 An unexpectedly and profoundly unnecessary high price for the incendiary firebrands of the destructive new left. — Bob Ehrlich, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2026 Ken Paxton and Jasmine Crockett, both firebrands within their respective party primaries, are slated to watch results roll in just a mile apart in central Dallas. — Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, 3 Mar. 2026 Inmates including Sam Bankman-Fried and Harvey Weinstein have turned to such right-wing firebrands as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to present alternative narratives to their cases. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 In the 1980s, right-wing firebrands such as Jerry Falwell and Anita Bryant claimed that the AIDS epidemic was a plague sent by God to punish gay people. — Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrands
  1. rebels
  2. agitators
  3. demagogues
  4. proponents
  5. insurgents
  6. supporters
  7. promoters
  8. provocateurs
Noun
  • The 11-year-old Batisa said his parents and two of his brothers were killed in an attack by Congolese rebels.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The Houthi rebels announced a maritime blockade of the Yemeni government's backer Saudi Arabia -- which has led a coalition that heavily bombed Houthi areas throughout the war.
    — August 18, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of rebels
Noun
  • 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
Definition of agitators
Noun
  • In recent years, totalizing ideologies such as communism, fascism, and Islamism have found dedicated audiences on social media, and the proliferation of demagogues manipulating people for malign ends is an ever-present worry.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And as Netanyahu’s coalitions hardened Schleien’s programs became edgier, skewering Netanyahu sycophants in the Likud Party, anti-élitist demagogues, cultic settlers, and rabbinic mandarins.
    — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of demagogues
Noun
  • As for the animal health risk, many proponents point out that screwworm made it into the US either through infested wildlife or via flies themselves while the border was closed to the cattle trade.
    — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Termini could not provide an explanation as to why proponents opted to revive an unrelated, inactive bill.
    — Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of proponents
Noun
  • Continue reading … DEM CIVIL WAR — Left-wing insurgents battle moderates Tuesday in races that could flip the House.
    — , FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan — initially their most important partner — are tense, as Islamabad accuses Kabul of supporting Pakistani insurgents.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of insurgents
Noun
  • As the court met Monday on Yabloko’s appeal, the party’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse and Russian media reported that several dozen people were detained.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • That's where authorities broke up confrontations and made some arrests after supporters from both sides clashed.
    — J.D. Miles, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of supporters
Noun
  • Colón’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Ashby and the fight’s promoters for allowing the fight to continue.
    — Matt Moret, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of promoters
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

Browse Nearby Words

firebrand
firebrands
fire-breather
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Cite this Entry

“Firebrands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrands. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of firebrands for Spanish Speakers

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