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provocateur

noun

Etymology

Borrowed from French provocateur. Doublet of provocator.

  1. borrowed from provocateur

Definitions

  1. One who engages in provocative behavior.

    • Near-synonyms: provoker (sometimes synonymous), agitator
    • Gerard Mortier, an iconoclastic impresario and one of the opera world’s premier provocateurs, will become general manager and artistic director of the New York City Opera in 2009.
    • Cannes is smacking its lips in anticipation of filmmaker and provocateur Michael Moore's latest jeremiad against the US administration, which receives its premiere at the film festival today.

  2. An undercover agent who incites suspected persons to partake in or commit criminal acts.

    • Near-synonyms: agitator, inciter

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for provocateur. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA