rabble-rousing
Americanadjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of rabble-rousing
First recorded in 1795–1805
Explanation
A rabble-rousing politician deliberately gets their audience worked up into an angry frenzy. Sometimes a rabble-rousing speech even inspires listeners to violence. A skilled public speaker can powerfully capture people's attention and inspire them to take action, get involved, or vote a certain way. A rabble-rousing speaker does nearly the same thing, but their goal is to get a crowd aggressively angry. They do this by manipulating the audience's prejudices and fears. Rabble-rousing, which dates back to the early 19th century, is from rabble, "pack of animals," and rouse, "to stir up or awaken."
Vocabulary lists containing rabble-rousing
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On its surface, a 36-year-old football player teaming up with rabble-rousing investors might seem as unlikely as getting engaged to the world’s most famous pop star after talking about her on a podcast.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025
They were treated to a set of raucous, rabble-rousing electro-rap, and responded by setting off smoke flares and moshing in giant rippling circles of bodies.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2025
Mojo Nixon, the rabble-rousing psychobilly musician and radio host who shot to fame with his satirical 1987 hit “Elvis Is Everywhere,” died on Wednesday aboard a country music cruise that he was co-hosting.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024
Among those who supported McCarthy were rabble-rousing Reps.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2023
Sometimes referred to as the “Wild Man from Birmingham,” Shuttlesworth has been described as an “unpolished, rabble-rousing Baptist preacher.”
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
