provocateur
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French provocateur. Doublet of provocator.
Noun
provocateur (plural provocateurs)
- One who engages in provocative behavior.
- 2007, February 28, “Daniel J. Wakin”, in City Opera Lures Director From Paris:
- 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.
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- An undercover agent who incites suspected persons to partake in or commit criminal acts.
Hyponyms
- provocateuse (female)
Translations
one who engages in provocative behavior
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undercover agent who incites suspected persons to partake in or commit criminal acts
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French
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin provocator. See provoquer, -ateur.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pʁɔ.vɔ.ka.tœʁ/
Adjective
provocateur (feminine provocatrice, masculine plural provocateurs, feminine plural provocatrices)
- provocative, inflammatory
- Synonym: provocant
Derived terms
- agente provocatrice
- agent provocateur
Noun
provocateur m (plural provocateurs, feminine provocatrice)
- provocateur, provoker; one who provokes
Related terms
- provoquer
Further reading
- “provocateur”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.