agitated

adjective

ag·​i·​tat·​ed ˈa-jə-ˌtā-təd How to pronounce agitated (audio)
: troubled in mind : disturbed and upset
When Caswall asked him to describe what he had seen …, he got very agitatedBram Stoker
was so agitated she could hardly speak
agitatedly adverb
pacing back and forth agitatedly

Examples of agitated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web German citizens had grown accustomed to calm and order; now their society is agitated and their government unpredictable. Joseph De Weck, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024 Jesse Plemons’ Daly, an agitated programmer and founder of a successful video game who doesn’t get full recognition, develops a space adventure where his USS Callister crew members are digital replicas of his work colleagues. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Through a security door, officers saw an agitated man with a handgun, officials said. Andrew Ford, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 It can also be used to sedate agitated people who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024 In the novel, Marcel and Albertine’s agitated cohabitation is embedded in a populated and historically specific social milieu—family relationships, parties, political events. Christine Smallwood, The New York Review of Books, 18 Jan. 2024 The argument began when two groups of people grew agitated over the belief that people in the other group were staring at them, according to affidavits from police. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 21 Feb. 2024 The agitated husband had entered a school in the scenario and was waiting in the teacher’s classroom to confront him with a baseball bat. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023 In another stunning moment in the film (available on HBO Max, Prime Video and Apple TV Plus), Navalny walks away from the camera, visibly agitated by a line of questioning from Roher. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agitated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of agitate

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of agitated was in 1684

Dictionary Entries Near agitated

Cite this Entry

“Agitated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agitated. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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