agitation

noun

ag·​i·​ta·​tion ˌa-jə-ˈtā-shən 

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

: 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

agitational

ˌa-jə-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• frenzy
• rampage
• rage

Examples of agitation in a Sentence

knew immediately, from the horses' agitation, that something terrible was happening

experienced a great deal of agitation over whether she had an appropriate dress for her husband's inauguration

Recent Examples on the Web

Thanks to ongoing agitation and awareness-building — especially by activist Opal Lee, now 98 years old — President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law on June 17, 2021. —Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 19 June 2025

Chicago Tribune Loveland noted the fire Johnson shows, both in excitement for a big play or in agitation for a careless mistake. —Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025

As the president expresses agitation toward district judges who block his policies nationwide, Trump so far has maintained more cordiality with Roberts, refusing to attack him personally. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2025

Sewing circles have long been a gathering space for political conversation, activism, and agitation. —Andrea Valdez, The Atlantic, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin agitātiōn-, agitātiō "violent moving or movement," from agitāre "to set in motion, agitate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for agitation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Medical Definition

agitation

noun

ag·​i·​ta·​tion ˌaj-ə-ˈtā-shən 

: a state of excessive psychomotor activity accompanied by increased tension and irritability

agitated

ˈaj-ə-ˌtāt-əd 

adjective