rabble-rouser

American  

[rab-uhl-rou-zer] / ˈræb əlˌraʊ zər /

noun

1. a person who stirs up the passions or prejudices of the public, usually for self-interested reasons; demagogue.

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rabble-rouser British  

noun

1. a person who manipulates the passions of the mob; demagogue

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Other Word Forms

• rabble-rousing adjective

Etymology

Origin of rabble-rouser

First recorded in 1835–45

Explanation

A politician who deliberately tries to get her audience excited and angry can be described as a rabble-rouser. There's a fine line between a rabble-rouser and a great public speaker. A rabble-rouser's highest priority is getting people worked up, especially by appealing to their prejudices and ignorance, with the ultimate goal of his own political support. It's a nineteenth century phrase that combines rouse, or "stir up," with rabble, which originally meant "a pack of animals," and later came to also mean "an unruly mob of people."

Example Sentences

Smalls is a decidedly charismatic rabble-rouser in the momentous year “Union” chronicles.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2024

Ferguson has been a steady conservative, but not a right-wing rabble-rouser.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

He’s since worked to become less of a rabble-rouser, and he left the caucus in 2023.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2024

It's like two twins, and one is the rabble-rouser, and the other one is the the calming force.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2022

“This rabble-rouser is part of your family. And there she is. Out there. Rousing the rabble.”

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill