Dictionary.com

provocateur

[ pruh-vok-uh-tur, -toor; French praw-vaw-ka-tœr ]
/ prəˌvɒk əˈtɜr, -ˈtʊər; French prɔ vɔ kaˈtœr /
See synonyms for provocateur on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural pro·vo·ca·teurs [pruh-vok-uh-turz, -toorz; French praw-vaw-ka-tœr]. /prəˌvɒk əˈtɜrz, -ˈtʊərz; French prɔ vɔ kaˈtœr/.

a person who provokes trouble, causes dissension, or the like; agitator.
(italics)French. agent provocateur.

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Origin of provocateur

1915–20; <French <Latin prōvocātor challenger, appellant, equivalent to provocā(re) to provoke + -tor-tor

Words nearby provocateur

provisory, provitamin, provitamin A, provitamin D2, provo, provocateur, provocation, provocative, provoke, provoking, provolone
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to provocateur

ringleader, malcontent, reactionary, radical, firebrand, demagogue, propagandist, zealot, anarchist, troublemaker, leftist, meddler, knave, rabble-rouser, punk, incendiary, inciter, agitator, mischief-maker, hellion

Example sentences from the Web for provocateur

British Dictionary definitions for provocateur

provocateur
/ (prəˌvɒkəˈtɜː) /

noun

a person who deliberately behaves controversially in order to provoke argument or other strong reactions
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