a person engaged in diversionary activity or tactics
diversionist in American English
(dɪˈvɜːrʒənɪst, -ʃə-, dai-)
noun
1.
a person engaged in activities that divert attention from a primary focus
2.
a person who deviates politically
Derived forms
diversionism
noun
Word origin
[1935–40; diversion + -ist]This word is first recorded in the period 1935–40. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Arts and Crafts Movement, complementation, hard core, unit trust, walk-through-ist is a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certainprinciples, doctrines, etc. Other words that use the affix -ist include: apologist, dramatist, machinist, novelist, socialist