agitator

[aj-i-tey-ter]

noun

1. a person who stirs up others in order to upset the status quo and further a political, social, or other cause.

   The boss said he would fire any union agitators.

2. a machine or device for agitating and mixing.

agitator

/ ˈædʒɪˌteɪtə /

noun

1. a person who agitates for or against a cause, etc

2. a device, machine, or part used for mixing, shaking, or vibrating a material, usually a fluid

Other Word Forms

• agitatorial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of agitator¹

First recorded in 1730–40; agitate + -or ²

Example Sentences

Ms McLaughlin said that "officers repeatedly told the crowd of agitators and journalists to get back, move, and get out of the elevator".

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Which brings me to the consent theory of power, a favorite of theorists and agitators from way back, updated by Gene Sharp, an advocate of nonviolent resistance.

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The coalition between our plutocracy and the lowest reaches of internet trolls and right-wing agitators is hardly unprecedented.

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"We're going to get out there and we're going to do a pretty big number on those people in Portland," he told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the targets as "professional agitators and anarchists".

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It’s not that Garrett is questioning survivors; rather, she’s examining all sides of a campaign for justice, and scrutinizing the cracks in our culture’s response to assault, recesses where ill-intentioned agitators can make themselves comfortable.

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Related Words

• anarchist 
• demagogue 
• firebrand 
• malcontent 
• propagandist 
• protestor www.thesaurus.com
• radical 
• troublemaker 
• zealot 

When To Use

What does agitator mean?

An agitator is someone who attempts to promote support or opposition for a political or social cause, especially by repeatedly raising the issue and bringing awareness to it.To do this is to agitate, and the act of doing this can be called agitation. Both words are much more commonly used in more general ways. The verb agitate more commonly means to make someone feel anxious or to stir something up, like how a storm agitates the ocean.Calling someone an agitator often implies that they are trying to stir things up and change the status quo, especially in a way that’s controversial. People who intend to do this might call themselves agitators. However, the word agitator is often used in a negative way, perhaps implying that such a person only intends to cause trouble. A more negative synonym for agitator is provocateur. A more positive or neutral synonym is activist.The word agitator is also used in another very specific but unrelated way, as a name for a machine part whose function is agitating or mixing. This sense of the word is most commonly used to refer to part of a washing machine that agitates the clothes (spins them around in the water).Example: He has spent years as a prominent antiwar agitator, protesting the proliferation of the military-industrial complex.