Standard Lemma guide

troublemaker

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈtɹʌbəlˌmeɪkə(ɹ)/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AH1 B AH0 L M EY2 K ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who causes trouble, especially one who does so deliberately.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The teacher separated the known troublemakers from the rest of the class.
  • He gained a reputation as a political troublemaker.
  • local troublemaker
  • serial troublemaker

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A complainer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bellyacher, carper, castigator, caviler, censurer, complainer, crabber, critic, criticizer, faultfinder, findfault, grouch, grumbler, grump, grumpy pants, hafter, kvetcher, latrant, nitpicker, pettifogger, pick-fault, quibbler, scolder, smellfungus, sourpuss, squeaky wheel, troublemaker, vituperator, whiner, whinger, whining Willy

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone who deliberately stirs up trouble

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trouble maker, troubler, mischief-maker, bad hat

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: unwelcome person, persona non grata

Narrower terms: agitator, fomenter, disturber, heckler, badgerer, hellion, heller, devil, hellhound, instigator, provoker, inciter, instigant, firebrand, loudmouth, blusterer, prankster, cut-up, trickster, tricker, hoaxer, practical joker, rioter

History

Etymology

From trouble + make + -er.

Across languages

Translations

116 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُثِير لِلْمَشاكِل (muṯīr li-l-mašākil) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Arabic: مُثِير لِلْمَتَاعِب (muṯīr li-l-matāʕib) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Arabic: شَقِي (šagi) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Arabic: مشكلجي (muškilji) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Armenian: խառնակիչ (xaṙnakičʻ) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Armenian: խռովարար (xṙovarar) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Bulgarian: сплетник (spletnik) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Catalan: cerca-raons — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Chinese Mandarin: 調皮鬼 /调皮鬼 (tiáopí guǐ) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鬧事者 /闹事者 (nàoshìzhě) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Czech: potížista — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Czech: výtržník — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Czech: rebelant — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Czech: buřič — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Danish: fredsforstyrrer — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Danish: spektakelmager — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Dutch: lastverkoper — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Dutch: druktemaker — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Dutch: ruziemaker — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Egyptian: D33:n-n:nw*W-E21-A24-A1 (ẖnnw) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Esperanto: petolulo — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: häirikkö — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: rauhanhäiritsijä — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: rettelöitsijä — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: öykkäri — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: kiusankappale — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: riitapukari — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Finnish: riidankylväjä — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • French: fauteur de troubles — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • French: perturbateur — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • French: trublion — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Galician: barulleiro — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Störenfried — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Querulant — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Unruhestifter — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Randalierer — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Rowdy — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • German: Raufbold — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Hawaiian: mea hoʻopilikia — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Hungarian: bajkeverő — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Icelandic: vandræðagemlingur — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Icelandic: vandræðagemsi — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Irish: mac mioscaise — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Irish: clampróir — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: piantagrane — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: attaccabrighe — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: casinista — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: combinaguai — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: rompipalle — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Italian: rompiscatole — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Japanese: トラブルメーカー (toraburumēkā) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Kazakh: бұзақы (būzaqy) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Khmer: មនុស្សរញ៉ាំរញ៉ូវ (mɔnuh rɔɲam-rɔɲəv) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Khmer: ភណ្ឌនការី (phoandea’ nɔɔ kaarəy) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Khmer: ទ្រុះ (truh) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Korean: 말썽꾸러기 (malsseongkkureogi) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Latin: vexātor — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Latin: turbātor — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Latin: pestifer — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Latin: lātrātor — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Latin: bovinātor — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Macedonian: беља́џија (beljádžija) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Macedonian: беља́џика (beljádžika) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Macedonian: предизви́кувач (predizvíkuvač) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Macedonian: предизвику́вачка (predizvikúvačka) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Malayalam: കുഴപ്പക്കാരൻ (kuḻappakkāraṉ) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Māori: kaimāreherehe — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Marshallese: boea — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bråkmaker — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bråkmakar — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Polish: mąciwoda — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Polish: awanturnik — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Polish: awanturnica — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Portuguese: desordeiro — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Portuguese: encrenqueiro — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Romanian: zurbagiu — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Russian: наруши́тель споко́йствия (narušítelʹ spokójstvija) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Russian: смутья́н (smutʹján) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Russian: баламу́т (balamút) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Russian: бузотёр (buzotjór) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Scottish Gaelic: buaireadair — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: alborotador — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: bullanguero — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: camorrista — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: embrollón — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: enredador — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: gamberro — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: provocador — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: liante — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: buscapleitos — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: pendenciero — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: broncas — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: pleitista — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Spanish: picapleitos — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Swahili: mfitini — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Swedish: bråkstake — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Swedish: bråkmakare — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Swedish: bråkmakerska — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Thai: นักเลง (nák-leeng) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Thai: อันธพาล (an-tá-paan) — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Turkish: başağrısı — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Turkish: baş belası — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Vietnamese: người gây rối — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Walloon: bardouxheu — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Welsh: codwr twrw — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Welsh: achoswr trwbl — one who causes trouble, especially deliberately
  • Czech: potížista — complainer
  • Finnish: valittaja — complainer
  • Finnish: narisija — complainer
  • Italian: pignolo — complainer
  • Norwegian: masekopp — complainer
  • Polish: maruda — complainer
  • Polish: zrzęda — complainer
  • Portuguese: reclamão — complainer
  • Romanian: zurbagiu — complainer
  • Swahili: mfitini — complainer
Real reading context

troublemaker in complete knowledge articles