firebrand

noun

ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbrand How to pronounce firebrand (audio)
Definition of firebrandnext
as in rebel
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent a firebrand who urged crowds to riot during the blackouts

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of firebrand Their manager has not been the firebrand from the University of Tennessee that everyone expected. — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 The independent, nonpartisan survey by EPIC-MRA of Lansing shows El-Sayed, the former director of Detroit and Wayne County's health departments and progressive firebrand, leading Rogers 47%-43% with 10% undecided. — Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Our reading list spanned the spectrum from GOP strategist Richard Viguerie and evangelical firebrand Francis Schaeffer to academic analysts like Erling Jorstad and George Marsden. — Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2026 Can Democratic firebrand Angie Nixon win in deep-red Florida? — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for firebrand
Recent Examples of Synonyms for firebrand
  1. rebel
  2. agitator
  3. proponent
  4. demagogue
  5. supporter
  6. promoter
  7. insurgent
  8. provocateur
Noun
  • The Saudis did not blame any party for the attacks, but Houthi rebels took credit earlier for the airport strikes.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Attacks by the Houthis, the Yemeni rebel group, on commercial shipping in the Red Sea over the last three years have pushed major carriers around the Cape of Good Hope, boosting traffic at ports along Africa’s southern and western coasts.
    — Jared Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Noun
  • The incident came as agitators against immigration adopt a confrontational new tactic of trying to stop the boats landing on England’s shores, clashing with police and rescue workers in the process.
    — Jill Lawless, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Among the agitators were the workers at Sytin’s Moscow publishing house.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of agitator
Noun
  • On the other side of the campaign, John Adams was labeled by Jefferson's proponents as a monarchist with aspirations to become king of the new United States.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Curiously, few of these proponents ever mention the New York Mets and their spending.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of proponent
Noun
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The country is in a fix about as bad as any demagogue is likely to put it in.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of demagogue
Noun
  • Other supporters argue that adding the ban to the Missouri Constitution would strengthen it.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Two vocal supporters of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra filed a formal campaign finance complaint against his rival, Steve Hilton, on Tuesday over the Republican campaign’s use of paid online promoters.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of supporter
Noun
  • Messina Touring Group, the promoter, said that Kraft — a friend of Sheeran — would not allow the tour to play his venues if Macklemore remained on the bill.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Two vocal supporters of Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra filed a formal campaign finance complaint against his rival, Steve Hilton, on Tuesday over the Republican campaign’s use of paid online promoters.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of promoter
Noun
  • They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Mungiu’s prickly, nonjudgmental studies of human behavior have sometimes led him to be branded as a provocateur.
    — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of Abiy’s critics now see him as a provocateur whose actions could lead to hostilities in the Horn of Africa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of provocateur

Browse Nearby Words

fireballs
firebrand
firebrands
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Cite this Entry

“Firebrand.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/firebrand. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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