agitation
Americannoun
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the act or process of agitating; state of being agitated: agitated.
She left in great agitation.
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persistent urging of a political or social cause or theory before the public.
- Synonyms:
- argument, discussion, debate
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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.
noun
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a state of excitement, disturbance, or worry
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the act of moving something vigorously; the shaking or stirring of something
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the act of attempting to stir up public opinion for or against something
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.
Related Words
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
- agitational adjective
- overagitation noun
- preagitation noun
- proagitation adjective
- reagitation noun
- superagitation noun
- underagitation noun
Etymology
Origin of agitation
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin agitātiōn-, stem of agitātiō; equivalent to agitate + -ion
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.
Other behavioral traits, such as agitation or anxiety, did not show the same association.
From Science Daily
And once they reach the level of agitation where they've started picking a fight with a flight attendant or passenger, he said they're unlikely to remember Duffy's words or calm down.
From BBC
Patients describe sleepless nights, compulsive news checking and physical agitation.
Other withdrawal symptoms can include dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, agitation and gastrointestinal side effects.
In later stages, patients often experience "sundowning," a period of increased confusion and agitation that tends to occur later in the day.
From Science Daily
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.
