agitation

American  

[aj-i-tey-shuhn] / ˌædʒ ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

agitations plural

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

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agitation British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• agitations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of agitation

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

Explanation

Agitation is the act of stirring things up, like the agitation of a washing machine that moves the water, detergent, and clothes around and gets the dirt out or the agitation of political activists who want people to work together to do something. The verb agitation comes from the Latin word agitare, meaning “move to and fro.” Agitation can happen whenever something is physically moved around, like stirring flour, eggs and milk to make pancake batter. Agitation also describes feeling stirred up emotionally — upset — or moved to act, like the agitation of protesters whose signs about unfair hiring practices at a store make many shoppers go somewhere else.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

agitation agitations

Moving patients with Alzheimer’s disease, he said, is associated with “behavioral destabilization, increased agitation, accelerated functional decline and a higher likelihood of acute care utilization.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Some Fairhopians floated the idea that, like much of the rest of Alabama, the city operates with an old boys’ club mentality, intolerant of outside agitation like a No Kings protest.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

"The beginning of so much of the agitation and really getting things moving is very much from the East Riding, from Bridlington," Neave adds.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

According to Dr. Creese, there are currently no licensed alternative drugs in the UK for treating severe agitation in dementia patients.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2026

My spirits were in a joyful sort of agitation, so desirous was I of activity; hazard itself seemed merely thrill.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

The agitations for justice she mockingly compares to an Evelyn Waugh novel and “a musical comedy about college life.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026

Mr Dixit agrees - he thinks that any support garnered by aggressive language agitations is likely to be short-lived.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025

The comment comes against the backdrop of recent agitations from employees at several technology companies.

From Reuters ● Jun. 2, 2022

“What is not religiously made obligatory therefore cannot be made a quintessential aspect of the religion through public agitations or by the passionate arguments in courts,” the panel wrote.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2022

Millions of separate and precise agitations bombarded her senses.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Related Words

• disturbance
• turbulence
• turmoil
• unrest
• upheaval