provocateur
Americannoun
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a person who provokes trouble, causes dissension, or the like; agitator.
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(italics) agent provocateur.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of provocateur
1915–20; < French < Latin prōvocātor challenger, appellant, equivalent to provocā ( re ) to provoke + -tor -tor
Explanation
A provocateur is a person who deliberately does things to provoke a specific reaction, argument, or change. For example, in art or cinema, a provocateur might create shocking works to challenge social norms. In police work, provocateur is short for agent provocateur, meaning "a person hired to make trouble." The provocateur could be an undercover police officer trying to catch a known criminal in the act of committing a crime so that officers can swoop in and make an arrest. At home, a provocateur is that family member who deliberately starts a heated debate at the dinner table every Thanksgiving. A political provocateur may try to discredit the opposing side by provoking someone into saying or doing something controversial.
Vocabulary lists containing provocateur
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.
An opinion poll last week showed One Nation, for decades a fringe group led by provocateur Pauline Hanson, had become the country's most popular party.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
Duchamp’s Readymades, serially reproduced, appear throughout MoMA’s retrospective—the first in the U.S. since 1973—which works strenuously to dispel any suspicion that he was a one-trick provocateur.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
The label, called Tucker Carlson Books, is launching with a slate of tomes by high-profile authors, many of whom are controversial, including actor and comedian Russell Brand and media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
By God, let’s go with indie provocateur Gregg Araki’s conception of him: Robert Redford, a titan who hatched an independent film festival from his head like he was Zeus and passed away this September.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026
Some provocateur was behind it all, and the children could hardly be blamed—at least, not entirely.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
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.
