agitate

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English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Latin agitatus, past participle of agitare (“to put in motion”), from agere (“to move”). Compare with French agiter. See act, agent.

Pronunciation

Verb

agitate (third-person singular simple present agitates, present participle agitating, simple past and past participle agitated)

  1. (transitive) To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person). [from 16th c.]
    He was greatly agitated by the news.
  2. (transitive) To cause to move with a violent, irregular action; to shake. [from 16th c.]
    to agitate water in a vessel
    The wind agitates the sea.
    • 1830, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Paul Clifford:
      It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
  3. To participate in political agitation (sense 3).
    • 1981 August 1, Mitzel, “NAMBLA Says National Crackdown Starting”, in Gay Community News, page 3:
      NAMBLA is working to build a coalition of gay, lesbian, progressive and civil liberties groups to agitate against the increasing state attacks on gay men who associate with boys.
  4. (transitive, obsolete) To set in motion; to actuate. [16th–18th c.]
  5. (transitive, now rare) To discuss or debate. [from 16th c.]
  6. (transitive, now rare) To mull over, or think deeply about; to consider, to devise. [from 17th c.]
    Politicians agitate desperate designs.

Synonyms

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Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Further reading

Esperanto

Pronunciation

Adverb

agitate

  1. present adverbial passive participle of agiti

Ido

Verb

agitate

  1. adverbial present passive participle of agitar

Italian

Adjective

agitate f

  1. feminine plural of agitato

Anagrams

Latin

Verb

agitāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of agitō

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English, from Latin agitatus. Cognate with English agitate.

Pronunciation

Verb

agitate (third-person singular simple present agitates, present participle agitatin, simple past agitatit, past participle agitate)

  1. to agitate

References

  • Eagle, Andy, editor (2024), “agitate”, in The Online Scots Dictionary‎[2]

Spanish

Verb

agitate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of agitar combined with te
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