rabble-rouser

[rab-uh l-rou-zer]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rabble-rouser ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who stirs up the passions or prejudices of the public, usually for his or her own interests; demagogue.

Origin of rabble-rouser

First recorded in 1835–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rabble-rouser

incendiary, agitator, firebrand, demagogue

Examples from the Web for rabble-rouser

Contemporary Examples of rabble-rouser

Reverend [Jesse] Jackson started as a rabble-rouser in Chicago and ended up running for president and having a talk show on CNN.
Sharpton’s Controversial TV Gig
Lloyd Grove
August 26, 2011
On The Real Housewives of New York City, Alex McCord has morphed from wallflower to rabble-rouser.
The Real Housewives of New York City's Alex McCord Lets Loose
Nicole LaPorte
May 25, 2011
Before Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and a staid statesman, he was a Whig and a rabble-rouser.
When Politicians Run Away
David A. Graham
February 19, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for rabble-rouser

rabble-rouser

noun

a person who manipulates the passions of the mob; demagogue

Derived Formsrabble-rousing, adjective, noun

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 rabble-rouser

1842, agent noun from Rabble-rousing, which first attested 1802 in Sydney Smith; from rabble (n.1) + rouse.