agitated
Americanadjective
Usage
What does agitated mean? To feel agitated is to feel anxious, bothered, or worried.The verb agitate means to make someone feel this way.It can also mean to shake something up, stir it up, or cause it to move around roughly, as in The storm is agitating the water, stirring up huge waves. The adjective agitated can also be used to describe something that has been stirred up in this way.The noun agitation can refer to the feeling of being agitated, as in There is a lot of agitation among the employees who have not yet been paid. Example: The cable news channel blaring in the waiting room makes me really agitated—they really shouldn’t have that around people who are about to get their blood pressure taken.
Other Word Forms
- agitatedly adverb
- unagitated adjective
- unagitatedly adverb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A security guard, watching the flow, offered a relaxed smile as the travelers grew more agitated: “They’re short-staffed. Please be patient.”
From Slate • Mar. 26, 2026
Recall that Gabbard had always agitated against waging preemptive war.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026
In 2024, Ryan Gainer’s family called 911 for support when the 15-year-old became agitated.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
Arteta invariably cuts an agitated figure on the sidelines.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
When I tried to insist, she became agitated, and I worried that would make her more ill.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
