provocateur

Borrowed from French provocateur. Doublet of provocator.

provocateur (plural provocateurs)

1. One who engages in provocative behavior.

   Synonyms: provocant, provocator

   Near-synonyms: provoker (sometimes synonymous), agitator

   • 2007 February 28, Daniel J. Wakin, “City Opera Lures Director From Paris”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     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.

   • 2007 May 19, Charlotte Higgins, “US government trying to seize new Michael Moore film, says producer”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     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

• (female) provocateuse, provocatrice

Borrowed from French provocateur.

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provocateur m (plural provocateurs, diminutive provocateurtje n)

1. provocateur

Borrowed from Latin provocātōrem. See provoquer, -ateur.

• IPA^(key): /pʁɔ.vɔ.ka.tœʁ/

provocateur (feminine provocatrice, masculine plural provocateurs, feminine plural provocatrices)

1. provocative, inflammatory

   Synonym: provocant

provocateur m (plural provocateurs, feminine provocatrice)

1. provocateur, provoker; one who provokes

• provoquer

• → Persian: پرووکاتور (porovokâtor)

• “provocateur”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.