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 of agitation

• 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

Symptoms of diphenhydramine poisoning can include extreme drowsiness, agitation, hallucinations, seizures, dangerous heart rhythm problems and loss of consciousness, according to the advisory. —Youri Benadjaoud, ABC News, 11 June 2026

The unrest is fueling fraught debates over immigration, online far-right agitation and even Northern Ireland’s open border with the Republic — a cornerstone of the peace process. —Peter Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

Choosing the bulky setting gives these items room to move freely during the agitation process. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 June 2026

But such reckless rebuke of the powers that shape their lives is dangerous, and Tomás’s agitation gives him the appearance of a man possessed. —Rachel Vorona Cote, Vulture, 2 June 2026

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