agitator

[aj-i-tey-ter]

noun

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.
a machine or device for agitating and mixing.

Origin of agitator

First recorded in 1730–40; agitate + -or²

Related formsag·i·ta·to·ri·al

[aj-i-tuh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /ˌædʒ ɪ təˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for agitators

malcontent, reactionary, radical, firebrand, demagogue, propagandist, zealot, anarchist, troublemaker, leftist, revolutionary, heretic, instigator, fighter, champion, rabble-rouser, pusher, partisan, advocate, agent

Examples from the Web for agitators

Contemporary Examples of agitators

But their “harshest” was on March 14, when pro-Russian agitators attacked armed with clubs, baseball bats and knives.
Soccer Hooligans Prep Ukraine for Putin
Jamie Dettmer
March 20, 2014
She later told me she recognized several Socialist Workers Party agitators in the room.
UK Jew’s Harassment Claim Fails
Paul Usiskin
April 1, 2013

Historical Examples of agitators

Some of the agitators whispered, "He will be off, he will escape from us!"
The Black Tulip
Alexandre Dumas (Pere)
In the summer of 1914 the dreams of these agitators were realized.
The New York Stock Exchange in the Crisis of 1914
Henry George Stebbins Noble
"If these agitators on the Left have any qualities of statesmen, now's their time to show it," he said.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine
If they hate England it is because they have been so taught by priests and agitators for their own ends.
Ireland as It Is
Robert John Buckley (AKA R.J.B.)
Flynn and Jacobi, the men Peter had sent away, were radicals and agitators.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for agitators

agitator

noun

a person who agitates for or against a cause, etc
a device, machine, or part used for mixing, shaking, or vibrating a material, usually a fluid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for agitators

agitator

1640s, agent noun from agitate (v.); originally "elected representative of the common soldiers in Cromwell's army," who brought grievances (chiefly over lack of pay) to their officers and Parliament.

Political sense is first recorded 1734, and negative overtones began with its association with Irish patriots such as Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847). Historically, in American English, often with outside and referring to people who stir up a supposedly contented class or race. Latin agitator meant "a driver, a charioteer."