agitation

1 : the act or an instance of agitating something : a moving back and forth or with an irregular, rapid, or violent action In candy making, this agitation usually consists of working the chocolate back and forth on a marble surface with a large scraper. —Rose Levy Beranbaum The technology is based on the controlled agitation of concentrated ore particles with precisely determined amounts of acid. —Corale L. Brierley

2 : a state or feeling of being agitated and restless nervous agitation Holmes was for the moment as startled as I. His hand closed like a vice upon my wrist in his agitation. —Arthur Conan Doyle She sat some time in a good deal of agitation, listening, trembling, and fearing to be sent for every moment … —Jane Austen : a state of excessive psychomotor activity accompanied by increased tension and irritability … characterized by prominent agitation, irritability, and delusions … —Oliver Freudenreich et al. Propranolol and other beta-blockers suppress physical symptoms of agitation and anxiety by slowing down the sympathetic nervous system. —The Harvard Mental Health Letter

3 : a persistent and sustained attempt to arouse public feeling or influence public opinion (as by appeals, discussions, or demonstrations) political agitation … makes it clear that this assertive attitude of black women was essential during the agitation for civil rights. —Gloria Naylor