AGITATING Synonyms: 196 Similar and Opposite Words

agitating 1 of 2

adjective

as in uneasy

marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings no more agitating waits to find out sports scores—get them instantly online!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

agitating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of agitate

as in stirring

to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly this room could use a ceiling fan to agitate the stuffy air a bit

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as in bothering

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy there's no need to agitate the patient about little things

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shaking

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements set the washing machine so it will agitate for four minutes before going into the rinse cycle

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as in discussing

to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion a question which has been agitated by the legislature time and time again

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of agitating

Verb

By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further. — Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 After many decades of organizing, speaking, writing, agitating — and weathering the constant controversy that courted — Steinem kept going. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 Continue to cook, agitating eggs and occasionally shaking pan and running spatula underneath to ensure eggs aren’t sticking, until surface of eggs looks somewhat set but still slightly shiny, about 30 seconds more. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026 One of the loudest voices in the cattle world agitating against the border reopening is Bill Bullard, the CEO of R-CALF, a national association of independent cattle and sheep farmers. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 Eritreans began agitating for independence in the 1960s, which only happened after decades of war and a regime change in Ethiopia. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026 Too much precarity, too little success, and too much commitment to naturally-occurring outcomes means that openly agitating for more diversity can be a nonstarter. — Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026 Instead of budgeting for $1,800 in tissues, the school insists on agitating parents all summer over crap like this. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Kucherov’s 51 points in 42 career regular-season games and agitating awesomeness against Florida have him at the top of the list. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitating

Adjective

Sam Altman is leading OpenAI through perhaps the most consequential—and uneasy—moment in artificial intelligence yet.

— Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026
In a desperate race against time, Rosalind and Sean are forced into an uneasy alliance, fighting to save her husband and expose a global trafficking empire that eliminates anyone who tries to stop it.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of uneasy

Verb

In a team meeting on the eve of their stirring 28-20 victory over the Cowboys, the Giants gave Jack Harbaugh their full attention and respect.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink and zucchini is tender, 6–8 minutes.

— Caroline Chambers, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of stirring

Verb

The chance to honor her legacy made for a poignant coincidence for an evening devoted to female power, and a reminder that, however much has changed since Steinem first began shaking things up, there is still plenty to do.

— Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
That doesn’t make their hooting, teeth-baring, chest-beating, or branch-shaking any less of an act of communication.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of shaking

Verb

Andrew Perloff and Paul Pabst assess the threat level for the teams in the AFC East, discussing how much Geno Smith elevates the Jets and how the Patriots' schedule affects their ceiling.

— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026
The first episode features Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Pablo Torre, discussing the continuing fallout from the Clippers’ salary cap circumvention scandal in the NBA.

— J.J. Bailey, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of discussing

Adjective

More than a month after Perez Hilton appeared in a disturbing livestream appearing to engage in acts of self-harm at this Miami-area home, his family is addressing the rumor mill.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026
As tensions rise and boundaries begin to blur, their grandmother’s frail presence takes on an increasingly disturbing quality, turning a once-idyllic summer into a haunting passage into adulthood.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbing

Verb

But what about the broad lines, supposedly caused by hydrogen swirling fast around a black hole?

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce After Kelce gushed about catching Swift’s Eras Tour and attempting to meet the singer backstage in July 2023, rumors began swirling about what might be going on between the superstar pair.

— Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of swirling

Verb

The tale of any historical figure is also one of time and place, but despite these looming ideas, the film’s particular unspooling has a distracting quality.

— Siddhant Adlakha, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Suppressing tics as treatment Suppressing tics can be distracting and exhausting, yet decades of research has shown that tic suppression can be strengthened and used therapeutically.

— Michael Okun, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026