as in agitator
a person who causes trouble; a person who creates problems or difficulties involving other people
He had the reputation of being a troublemaker in high school.
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Recent Examples of troublemaker
Fishing with his father and grandfather was a welcome release, but school brought out his inner troublemaker.
—
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The show, set in Chicago, starred O’Neill as women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, Sagal as his wife Peggy, Applegate as not-so-bright daughter Kelly and Faustino as troublemaker son Bud.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Photograph courtesy Peter Matthiessen estate The second of three children, Matthiessen was the resident troublemaker.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Sometimes there’s a kid who is labeled a ‘troublemaker’ who just needs to be heard.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2025
The show, set in Chicago, starred O’Neill as women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, Sagal as his wife Peggy, Applegate as not-so-bright daughter Kelly and Faustino as troublemaker son Bud.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Photograph courtesy Peter Matthiessen estate The second of three children, Matthiessen was the resident troublemaker.
—Maggie Doherty, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Sometimes there’s a kid who is labeled a ‘troublemaker’ who just needs to be heard.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for troublemaker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for troublemaker
Noun
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Agents sprayed pepper balls and tear gas toward a nearby crowd of agitators as the altercation continued, though the man was ultimately released.—
Greg Wehner , Matt Finn,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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This is why, apart from rhetoric, the MAGA crowd insists there must be outside money, outside organization, outside agitators here.—
Katherine Packert Burke,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Much like Zayn, there had, at times, been teases that Orton would be involved in the WWE title scene come WrestleMania 42.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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After a season-long tease that one of the contestants is the most decorated to grace the Masked Singer stage, the judges all felt like Scarab was it.—
Jillian Sederholm,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Studio 100 will have a teaser trailer to show buyers on the ground in Berlin.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
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Watch the teaser trailer below.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Trump administration officials were quick to cast Pretti as the instigator.—
Steven Sloan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
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The founder of the league, Windsor’s Tyler Ruff, grad student and the Huskies’ head student manager, is the instigator, agitator and original commissioner.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instead, the lawsuit argued, law enforcement in the area where the harasser lived should have served the papers.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
27 Dec. 2025
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Moreover, when harassers disproportionately target women, people of color and LGBTQ officials, entire communities are systematically excluded from participation in self-governance.—
Ernestine Nettles,
Mercury News,
22 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Troublemaker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/troublemaker. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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