agitation

[aj-i-tey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or process of agitating; state of being agitated: agitated.

   She left in great agitation.

   Synonyms: ado, perturbation, conflict, struggle, disquiet, unrest, storm, tumult

2. persistent urging of a political or social cause or theory before the public.

   Synonyms: argument, discussion, debate

3. Also called psychomotor agitation. psychological and physical restlessness, manifested by pacing, hand-wringing, or other activity, sometimes occurring as a symptom of severe depression, schizophrenia, or other mental disorder.

agitation

/ ˌædʒɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. a state of excitement, disturbance, or worry

2. the act of moving something vigorously; the shaking or stirring of something

3. the act of attempting to stir up public opinion for or against something

Other Word Forms

• agitational adjective
• overagitation noun
• preagitation noun
• proagitation adjective
• reagitation noun
• superagitation noun
• underagitation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of agitation¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin agitātiōn-, stem of agitātiō; equivalent to agitate + -ion

Synonym Study

Agitation, disturbance, excitement, turmoil imply inner unrest, uneasiness, or apprehension. Agitation implies a shaken state of emotions, usually perceptible in the face or movements: With evident agitation she opened the telegram. Disturbance implies an inner disquiet caused by worry, indecision, apprehension, or the like: Long-continued mental disturbance is a cause of illness. Excitement implies a highly emotional state caused by either agreeable or distressing circumstances: excitement over a proposed trip, unexpected good news, a fire. Turmoil suggests such a struggle or conflict of emotions that one is unable to think consecutively: Her thoughts were in a hopeless turmoil.

Example Sentences

It is Ms. Ripa who suffers more than her husband, perhaps because she’s not making the decisions and/or because she has no constitutional immunity to the nervous agitation of high-maintenance fandom.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"A couple of hundred people turned up by themselves to protest against her arrest," he said, referring to a 12 September agitation outside the Sikh temple in California.

Read more on BBC

The outlets and officials claim that both foundations allegedly provided money to as-of-yet unnamed groups that “radicalized” Tyler Robinson and led to what the White House has called “organized agitation.”

Read more on Salon

She insisted Marc fill the neurologist’s prescription for an anti-anxiety medication that diminished his irritability and agitation without zonking him out.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

There’s ongoing research into drugs that might “enhance cognition or treat challenging behaviors like agitation, depression, hallucinations, and other neuro-psychiatric or behavioral symptoms.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• disturbance 
• turbulence 
• turmoil 
• unrest 
• upheaval 

When To Use

What does agitation mean?

Agitation is the state or feeling of being agitated—anxious, bothered, or worried, as in There is a lot of agitation among the employees who have not yet been paid. It also commonly refers to the act or process of agitating—shaking up, stirring up, or causing something to move around roughly, as in The agitation of the water by strong winds has caused it to become very choppy. The verb agitate is also used in a more specific way to mean to attempt to promote support or opposition for a political or social cause, especially by repeatedly raising the issue and bringing awareness to it. The act of doing this can be called agitation, and a person who does this can be called an agitator.Example: You could hear Mom’s agitation growing with each additional time she asked Tim to take out the garbage.