fear-monger

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A person who deliberately spreads alarming or frightening information, especially to influence public opinion or gain political or social advantage.
    • One who creates or exploits fear in others for personal or ideological benefit.
Usage Examples
  • (A person who spreads alarming information to sway public opinion.)
  • (They deliberately incite fear in readers.)
  • (Someone who exploits fear for financial gain.)
Advanced Usage
  • "fear-monger in chief": a colloquial term for a leader who uses fear as a primary tactic.
    • The dictator acted as a fear-monger in chief, threatening foreign enemies to distract from domestic issues. (The leader used fear to maintain control.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Fear-mongering (n): the act or practice of spreading fear.
    • The campaign relied on fear-mongering to win votes. (The strategy involved alarming voters.)
  • Fear-monger (v): to engage in the act of spreading fear (less common usage).
    • He tried to fear-monger about the new technology. (He attempted to create fear about it.)
Synonyms
  • Alarmist: a person who exaggerates dangers or threats.
  • Scaremonger: a person who spreads frightening rumors or warnings.
  • Panic-monger: someone who deliberately induces panic.
Related Idioms
  • Cry wolf: to raise a false alarm, often repeatedly, which undermines credibility.
    • The fear-monger cried wolf so many times that nobody believed him anymore. (He falsely warned of danger so often that people ignored him.)
  • Beat the drum of fear: to actively promote fear as a message.
    • The fear-monger beat the drum of fear about immigration. (He persistently warned about immigration as a threat.)
Phrasal Verbs
  • Play on fears: to exploit or manipulate someone's anxieties.
    • The advertisement played on people's fears of being alone. (It used fear to sell a product.)
  • Work up fear: to gradually create or intensify fear in someone.
    • The speech worked up fear about the upcoming election. (It built up anxiety in the audience.)
Word Family
  • Fear (n): the emotion of being afraid.
  • Monger (suffix): a person who deals in or promotes something (e.g., fishmonger, gossip-monger).