provocateur
[pruh-vok-uh-tur, -too r; French praw-vaw-ka-tœr]
- a person who provokes trouble, causes dissension, or the like; agitator.
- (italics) French. agent provocateur.
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Origin of provocateur
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
ringleadermalcontentreactionaryradicalfirebranddemagoguepropagandistzealotanarchisttroublemakerleftistmeddlerknaverabble-rouserpunkincendiaryinciteragitatormischief-makerhellionExamples from the Web for provocateur
Contemporary Examples
Lars von Trier, the terribly talented Danish provocateur, is quite a character.
Lars von Trier Breaks His Vow of Silence to Discuss ‘Nymphomaniac’ in VeniceMarlow Stern
September 1, 2014
These are the works of Ralph Steadman, legendary artist and provocateur.
DONETSK, Ukraine—He reaches into his pocket to pull out a Ukrainian passport and opens it to prove he is no Russian provocateur.
But if Correa has the provocateur's teeth, it's unclear whether he has the stomach for the part.
So, it may surprise you to hear that talk-radio host and provocateur extraordinaire Mark Levin and I are in agreement.
Historical Examples
The Whites put up a provocateur as before a pogrom in Russia.
The Soul of John BrownStephen Graham
The provocateur is rewarded with greater liberty and special privileges.
Prison Memoirs of an AnarchistAlexander Berkman
A few detectives had also managed to find their way here, and there was even one provocateur.
The Created LegendFeodor Sologub
You had to point out to them several times that it was Oswald who was the Castro provocateur, so to say, and not you?
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15)The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
The tricked boys now swear vengeance upon the provocateur, but "Dutch" is missing from the range.
Prison Memoirs of an AnarchistAlexander Berkman
provocateur
- a person who deliberately behaves controversially in order to provoke argument or other strong reactions
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for provocateur
n.
1915 (Emma Goldman), shortened form of agent provocateur "person hired to make trouble" (1845), from French provocateur, from Latin provocator "challenger," from provocare "to call out" (see provoke).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper