as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
no more agitating waits to find out sports scores—get them instantly online!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
there's no need to agitate the patient about little things
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agitating
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
Peter died in 2019, but Jane is still acting and agitating, starring on Netflix's Grace and Frankie for seven seasons, as well in the Book Club films (2018, 2023) and 80 for Brady (2023).
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
And avoid agitating material — rubbing can create pilling.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
But his margin over more agitating players like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames is relatively small.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Repeat steps 3 through 5 anywhere from three to four more times until the water remains clean after submerging and agitating the pillowcase.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2025
He's been agitating for a trade, explicitly behind the scenes and not-so-covertly in public, in the intervening months.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
He was involved in a lot of offense, while also being highly physical and agitating the Swiss team throughout the game.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
The local defense lawyers’ group that has been agitating for reforms reiterated Friday their desire for a prosecutorial integrity unit that addresses past misconduct and current ethical concerns.
—Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
Use the same steps, soaking your comforter, adding a small amount of gentle detergent, and agitating your piece.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025
Peter died in 2019, but Jane is still acting and agitating, starring on Netflix's Grace and Frankie for seven seasons, as well in the Book Club films (2018, 2023) and 80 for Brady (2023).
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
And avoid agitating material — rubbing can create pilling.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
But his margin over more agitating players like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames is relatively small.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Repeat steps 3 through 5 anywhere from three to four more times until the water remains clean after submerging and agitating the pillowcase.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2025
He's been agitating for a trade, explicitly behind the scenes and not-so-covertly in public, in the intervening months.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
He was involved in a lot of offense, while also being highly physical and agitating the Swiss team throughout the game.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
The local defense lawyers’ group that has been agitating for reforms reiterated Friday their desire for a prosecutorial integrity unit that addresses past misconduct and current ethical concerns.
—Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitating
Adjective
-
Pico’s other headsets are not sold in North America and ByteDance and the Trump administration have an uneasy relationship at best.—
Chris Morris,
Fortune,
15 July 2025
-
The carpenters’ stance has created a split in the labor movement that makes lawmakers uneasy and sometimes spills into public view.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
13 July 2025
Verb
-
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered without stirring.—
Kelly Brant,
arkansasonline.com,
7 Jan. 2025
-
Add the 3 ½ tablespoons butter and, stirring continuously, cook until the caramel reaches 238 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes more.—
Kelly Brant,
arkansasonline.com,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Jan. 2025
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The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Symptoms like a fast heart rate, or shortness of breath, shaking and chills, confusion or lethargy.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Your ruler Mercury will also station retrograde in Sagittarius—your seventh house of partnerships—on November 9, revealing all the ways your desires for independence may be shaking things up with up your closest allies and enemies.—
Roya Backlund,
StyleCaster,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But make no mistake, retaining Gordon beyond this season is a priority for the Bears front office and something Poles and his staff are discussing.—
Dan Wiederer,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
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The pair are close, frequently discussing their respective seasons — Whitworth is on loan in League One with Exeter City — and supporting each other.—
Matt Woosnam,
The Athletic,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
This is a disturbing statistic and speaks to an increase in the total number of people defacing themselves, but also a rise in the amount of ink per person.—
Scott Liftman,
Boston Herald,
25 July 2025
-
The board of the Regional Transportation Authority met Friday to discuss ways to respond to the cut, striking a note of optimism to counter the disturbing prediction for Tri-Rail’s future.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Occupying and distracting the mind.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
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While most of the acting is wonderful (Wyle is predictably great, but so is just about all of the main cast), some patient-of-the-week players err towards distracting histrionics.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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With Iran and its proxies diminished and Gulf states anxious to diversify their economies, any prospect for broader peace and normalization runs through Riyadh.—
Edward Felsenthal,
Time,
23 July 2025
-
This is their first major sit-down interview together, and both are a bit anxious.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitating. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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