Dictionary

agitate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈæ.d͡ʒɪ.teɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation, US)
• (UK) audio

Etymology

From Middle English agitat(e) (“set in motion”), borrowed from Latin agitātus, perfect passive participle of agitō (“to put in motion”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), frequentative of agō (“to drive, move, push”), see -tō. Cognate with French agiter. See also act and agent.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person).
   • He was greatly agitated by the news.
2. (transitive) To cause to move with a violent, irregular action; to shake.
   • The wind agitates the sea.
   • It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. 1830, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford:
   • to agitate water in a vessel
3. To participate in political agitation (sense 3).
   • NAMBLA is working to build a coalition of gay, lesbian, progressive and civil liberties groups to agitate against the increasing state attacks on gay men who associate with boys. 1981 August 1, Mitzel, “NAMBLA Says National Crackdown Starting”, in Gay Community News, page 3:
4. (obsolete, transitive) To set in motion; to actuate.
5. (archaic, transitive) To discuss or debate.
   • Your speech at the time a bill for the regency was agitated now lies before me. 1790, Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Men:
6. (archaic, transitive) To mull over, or think deeply about; to consider, to devise.
   • Politicians agitate desperate designs.

Forms

Antonyms

calm · appease · quieten

Deriveds

reagitate · overagitate · counteragitate · agitate the communicator · circumagitate

Relateds

agitatrix · agitatory · agitatee · agitator · agitation · agitative · inagitable · agitable · agitant · agitational

Synonyms

throw off balance · think over · quander · discompose · meditate · enturbulate · mull over · activate · unsettle · bring down · ruffle · set off · cogitate · bother · disturb · rethink · mortify · freak · bethink · chew the cud · mull · put out · flurry · debate · excite · ponder · trigger · muse · ruminate · contemplate · disconcert · reflect · muddle · afterthink · canvass · sting · unstring · animate · agitate · chew over · revolve · move · roil · think · rouse · ruminate · introspect · call to mind · upset · unsettle · deliberate · revolve · perturb · shake · disturb · overthink · discuss · reconsider · consider · agitate · chew · second-guess

Translations (62)

mi ori (to move with a violent, irregular action) · de aufwirbeln (to move with a violent, irregular action) · de aufregen (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · la turbō (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · it scuotere (to move with a violent, irregular action) · de durcheinander bringen (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · bg възбуждам (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de diskutieren (to discuss with great earnestness; to debate) · tr sarsmak (to move or actuate) · de aufrühren (to move with a violent, irregular action) · ja 扇動する (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de aufrühren (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de aus der Fassung bringen (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · ce оьйхаз вала (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de durchrühren (to move with a violent, irregular action) · it agitare (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · it agitare (to move with a violent, irregular action) · fi hämmentää (to move or actuate) · ro agita (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · eo inciti (to move with a violent, irregular action) · ja 掻き乱す (to move with a violent, irregular action) · it turbare (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · pl agitować (to move or actuate) · fi ravistella (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de rühren (to move with a violent, irregular action) · pt agitar (to move or actuate) · ro agita (to move or actuate) · es agitar (to move with a violent, irregular action) · de aufwiegeln (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · es alborotar (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · sv röra om (to move with a violent, irregular action) · mi whakaoioi (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · tr sarsmak (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · it sbattere (to move with a violent, irregular action) · fi hämmentää (to move with a violent, irregular action) · sv röra om (to move or actuate) · ja 煽る (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de debattieren (to discuss with great earnestness; to debate) · bg разбърквам (to move with a violent, irregular action) · grc ταράσσω (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · gl axitar (to move with a violent, irregular action) · cs protřepat (to move with a violent, irregular action) · sv uppröra (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · cs promíchat (to move with a violent, irregular action) · fa پریشان کردن (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de erregen (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · fa آشفتن (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · txb wālts- (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de umrühren (to move with a violent, irregular action) · bg раздвижвам (to move or actuate) · de schütteln (to move with a violent, irregular action) · pt agitar (to move with a violent, irregular action) · tr sarsmak (to move with a violent, irregular action) · grc ἀνασείω (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · gl axitar (to move or actuate) · mi oi (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · de aufwühlen (to move with a violent, irregular action) · bg вълнувам (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · ce питана дан (to stir up, to disturb or excite) · sa इङ्गति (to move with a violent, irregular action) · ro agita (to move with a violent, irregular action) · pt agitar (to stir up, to disturb or excite)