agitator

noun

ag·​i·​ta·​tor ˈa-jə-ˌtā-tər 

: one that agitates: such as

a

: one who stirs up public feeling on controversial issues

political agitators

b

: a device or an apparatus for stirring or shaking

Synonyms of agitator

• rebel
• supporter
• demagogue
• firebrand
• promoter
• proponent
• provocateur
• insurgent
• reformer
• demonstrator
• advocate
• protester
• instigator
• exciter
• apostle
• rabble-rouser
• inciter
• fomenter

Examples of agitator in a Sentence

The police arrested several anti-government agitators.

a political agitator who led an unsuccessful revolt against the government

Recent Examples on the Web

The Lightning were without Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, two of the main agitators from the first matchup. —Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026

Columbia students, along with outside agitators, broke into an academic building and temporarily detained the janitors inside. —Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

On March 1st, the right-wing online agitator Ian Miles Cheong posted a video from a Dubai club where uniformed employees danced with sparklers and liquor bottles. —Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2026

Christian women wishing to reunite their families without calling for Hitler’s demise, or the release of all Jews, were harder for the regime to portray as political enemies or criminal agitators. —Danielle Wirsansky, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

agitate + -or entry 1

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for agitator

• activator
• actuator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator
• calculator

Kids Definition

agitator

noun

ag·​i·​ta·​tor ˈaj-ə-ˌtāt-ər 

1

: a person who stirs up public feeling

2

: a device for stirring or shaking