troublemaker

[ truhb-uhl-mey-ker ]

/ ˈtrʌb əlˌmeɪ kər /

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See synonyms for: troublemaker / troublemakers / troublemaking on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who causes difficulties, distress, worry, etc., for others, especially one who does so habitually as a matter of malice.

OTHER WORDS FOR troublemaker

instigator, fomenter, inciter, rabble-rouser.

See synonyms for troublemaker on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of troublemaker

First recorded in 1910–15; trouble + maker

OTHER WORDS FROM troublemaker

trou·ble·mak·ing, noun

Words nearby troublemaker

troubadour, troubadours, Troubetzkoy, trouble, troubled waters, troublemaker, trouble man, trouble one's head with, troubleproof, troubleshoot, troubleshooter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use troublemaker in a sentence

Months later, he purged the state party of troublemakers ahead of what would be his final re-election bid in 2016.
No, Trumpism Isn’t Over. Look at What Just Happened in Arizona|Philip Elliott|January 25, 2021|Time
The union reminded flight attendants that the best solution is to keep potential troublemakers off planes.
FAA warns of jail time, fines as airports and airlines prep for unruly passengers ahead of the inauguration|Ian Duncan, Lori Aratani|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
If other leaders are tone-policing you, and you’re too loud, you’re like a troublemaker—we all know that’s what happens to people like me—then if someone defends you, they’re obviously going to also be a problem for the other leaders.
“I started crying”: Inside Timnit Gebru’s last days at Google—and what happens next|Karen Hao|December 16, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Last year, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong used the occasion to don Halloween-themed masks at a time the city’s government had banned face coverings to make it easier to identify troublemakers.
Be Very Afraid: A Virtual House of Horrors|Tracy Moran|October 25, 2020|Ozy

I am happy to report that our listenership includes plenty of troublemakers as well as smoothers-over.
How to Make Meetings Less Terrible (Ep. 389)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 19, 2019|Freakonomics
Trailblazing comedian and troublemaker Joan Rivers died on Thursday at the age of 81.
What Joan Rivers Said She Would Do If She Were Dictator of America|Asawin Suebsaeng|September 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Nasty Gal queen went from troublemaker to CEO of a million-dollar company in just a few years.
The ‘Nasty Gal’ Invasion: Sophia Amoruso Wants to Create an Army of #GIRLBOSSes|Alison Baitz|May 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Broken” is the first song the Canadian troublemaker unleashed.
Erin Andrews Joins ‘DWTS’; Marion Cotillard is Lady Macbeth||February 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In later years, Mandela would translate it with mingled pride and self-deprecating humor as “troublemaker.”
Mandela: The Miracle Maker|Sam Seibert|December 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ted Cruz is known as a right-wing troublemaker, but he is tame compared to his dad.
The Six Craziest Quotes From Ted Cruz’s Father, Rafael Cruz|Brandy Zadrozny|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We don't know whether you're working for him or not, but you're a troublemaker.
A World is Born|Leigh Douglass Brackett
Brownie was a troublemaker, Brownie talked too much, Brownie philosophized in a world that ridiculed philosophy.
Derelict|Alan Edward Nourse
Yet the bloody shirt lingered long as a troublemaker, and was invoked by both parties.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2)|Henry Watterson
Well, I can hardly be called a troublemaker, and you had a pretty peaceful time with me.
Creditors; Pariah|August Strindberg
In such cases, Investigations had stepped in and the Martian or Earthling troublemaker had been sent to the rare-earth mines.
Blind Spot|Bascom Jones

British Dictionary definitions for troublemaker

troublemaker

/ (ˈtrʌbəlˌmeɪkə) /

noun

a person who makes trouble, esp between people

Derived forms of troublemaker

troublemaking, 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

troublemaker

OTHER WORDS FOR troublemaker

Origin of troublemaker

OTHER WORDS FROM troublemaker

Words nearby troublemaker

Words related to troublemaker

How to use troublemaker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for troublemaker

Derived forms of troublemaker