intelligence agent
Undercover government employee
An intelligence agent is a person who gathers secret information for a government or organization.
The term covers both officers employed by agencies like the CIA or MI6 and the sources they recruit—though professionals distinguish between the two.
The intelligence agent passed documents to his handler.
Spy is the more common informal term.
- cryptographerDesigner of secret codes
- case officerIntelligence operative supervisor
- spyCovert information gatherer
- handlerOne who manages something
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
espionage · linguist · infiltration · analyst · reconnaissance · counterintelligence · dead drop · recruiter · need to know · cold war · sabotage · interrogation · CIA · James Bond · tradecraft · data mining · covert operations · black ops
- government jobscivil servant, civil servants, federal jobs, public servant, government jobs
- investigatorsdetective, investigator, inspector, sleuth, gumshoe
- insurgentsinsurgent, guerrillas, guerrilla, rebel, resistance fighters
intelligence agentdiplomat
Official foreign representative
ambassador · public official · press secretary · spokesperson · consul
intelligence agentdouble agent
Spy betraying their side
traitor · defector · mole · turncoat · collaborator
intelligence agentwhistleblower
Insider who reports misconduct
leaker · investigative journalist · Edward Snowden · Julian Assange · dissident
intelligence, agent, intelligent, intelligently, unintelligent, intelligentsia, intellect, intellectual, intellectually