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.

RELATED WORDS

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 troublemaking

The troublemaking two did not seem to recognize the commissioner, but they knew cops when they saw them.
My Patrol With the NYPD’s Bill Bratton|Michael Daly|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And growing up with all the shoplifting and troublemaking, you ended up enrolling in an alternative high school, right?
Sam Rockwell on ‘The Way, Way Back,’ His Troubled Youth & More|Marlow Stern|July 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The school also offered Brody free acting classes, which kept him from causing mischief with his troublemaking friends.
Adrien Brody: From Queens to Oscar and Back Again|Marlow Stern|March 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for troublemaking

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 troublemaking

troublemaker

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