provocateur
provocateur — 名詞
- provocateursingular
- provocateursplural
1. a person who deliberately says or does things to start arguments, or to make oth
挑釁者
故意挑起爭端、激怒他人的人
a person who deliberately says or does things to start arguments, or to make others feel angry, upset, or uncomfortable
Ari built a huge online following as a provocateur who attacked popular opinions.
Ari 以挑釁者的姿態攻擊主流意見，在網路上累積了大批追隨者。
noun describing someone who stirs up reactions on purpose
The talk-show host invited a well-known provocateur to anger the studio audience.
脫口秀主持人請來一位知名的挑釁者，故意激怒現場觀眾。
collocation: invite / book a provocateur for a debate
Critics called the painter a provocateur whose work was made only to shock people.
評論家稱這位畫家是個煽動者，作品只是為了讓人震驚。
As a teenager, Liam was the family provocateur, raising touchy subjects at every dinner.
Liam 青少年時期是家裡的挑釁者，每次吃飯都會提起敏感話題。
Voters grew tired of the senator acting as a provocateur instead of solving real problems.
選民厭倦了這位參議員只當挑釁者，而不去解決真正的問題。
- agitator
stirs up groups toward action; provocateur is more about getting a reaction
- troublemaker
plainer, everyday word; provocateur is formal and often deliberate-for-effect
- instigator
starts a specific incident; provocateur is an ongoing role or character
- peacemaker
tries to calm conflict rather than start it
用法筆記
Often describes a public figure (writer, artist, broadcaster, politician) who provokes on purpose to draw attention. Distinguish from sense 2: this person seeks reaction and publicity, not a criminal trap.
2. a person, often secretly working for the police or a government, who pushes othe
奸細；密探
誘人犯法以便逮捕的臥底
a person, often secretly working for the police or a government, who pushes others into breaking the law so that they can be caught
The protesters suspected that a provocateur in the crowd had smashed the shop window.
抗議者懷疑人群中有個奸細砸破了商店的櫥窗。
noun: a hidden agent who triggers illegal acts in a group
Court records showed the riot was started by a paid provocateur, not the workers.
法院紀錄顯示，這場暴動是受雇的奸細挑起的，不是工人。
collocation: a paid / police provocateur
Femi warned the union members that a provocateur might try to push them toward violence.
Femi 提醒工會成員，可能有奸細想煽動他們走向暴力。
The spy novel followed a provocateur sent to lure rebels into an illegal weapons deal.
這本間諜小說講述一名密探奉命誘使叛軍進行非法軍火交易。
Old files revealed the government had planted a provocateur inside the peaceful campaign.
舊檔案揭露，政府曾在這場和平運動中安插一名奸細。
- agent provocateur
the full set phrase for exactly this meaning
- infiltrator
secretly joins a group, but does not always push them to break the law
用法筆記
Subject is usually working covertly for authorities; the goal is to make people commit a crime so they can be arrested. The fuller, formal term is 'agent provocateur'.