gadfly

One group was inspired by Justin Shubow, a gadfly who has made a career out of opposing modern architecture, and bankrolled by Thomas Klingenstein, chairman of the conservative Claremont Institute.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

That’s because in Austin, Harrison is viewed as a gadfly, with few legislative victories or allies.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2025

The publication was founded in 1955 by the legendary gadfly William F. Buckley Jr. as a salon for the various right-leaning fraternities in American life: fire-eating libertarians, orthodox Catholics, conspiratorial anti-communists.

From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2025

For decades, he also relished his role as a brutally insulting critic — sometimes of the bands he worked with — and a gadfly who pushed uncomfortable buttons about race, politics and sex.

From New York Times ● May 14, 2024

In various court documents, judges described Cofield as a “con artist,” “no more than a gadfly and an exploiter of the court system,” and “the most litigious inmate in the system.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

So it’s time for prognosticators, observers, gadflies and political junkies to share their predictions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

And why is the work of maintaining them left to civic gadflies, even after two consecutive New York mayors have pledged to tackle the problem?

From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2023

There are always third party gadflies in presidential races and they can have an effect.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2023

Most of the seats during the Anaheim council meeting I attended did end up getting filled — but it was the usual assortment of lobbyists, gadflies, local activists, and happy, mysterious men in sharp suits.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2022

This forest was most horribly fertile and abundant in gadflies and hornets, so that it was a very purgatory for asses and horses.

From The World's Greatest Books — Volume 07 — Fiction by Arthur Mee