troublemaker

[ truhb-uhl-mey-ker ]

/ ˈtrʌb əlˌmeɪ kər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troublemaker 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.

Nearby words

trouble one's head with, trouble someone for, trouble spot, troubled, troubled waters, troublemaker, troubleproof, troubleshoot, troubleshooter, troubleshooting, troublesome

Origin of troublemaker

First recorded in 1910–15; trouble + maker

SYNONYMS FOR troublemaker

instigator, fomenter, inciter, rabble-rouser.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR troublemaker ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formstrou·ble·mak·ing, noun

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

Examples from the Web for troublemaker

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

Some troublemaker asked Kerry whether there was any way to avoid U.S. military action.
Syria: What Have We Learned?|Leslie H. Gelb|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Well, I can hardly be called a troublemaker, and you had a pretty peaceful time with me.
Creditors; Pariah|August Strindberg
Yet the bloody shirt lingered long as a troublemaker, and was invoked by both parties.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2)|Henry Watterson
And she was in the church yet, a troublemaker sometimes, and a disturber of spiritual peace—but still there.
Moriah's Mourning and Other Half-Hour Sketches|Ruth McEnery Stuart
We don't know whether you're working for him or not, but you're a troublemaker.
A World is Born|Leigh Douglass Brackett
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 Formstroublemaking, 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 troublemaker

troublemaker

also trouble-maker, 1843, from trouble (n.) + maker.

troublemaker

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of troublemaker

Examples from the Web for troublemaker

British Dictionary definitions for troublemaker

troublemaker

noun

Word Origin and History for troublemaker

troublemaker