Definition of agitation
plural agitations
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
- … 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
