Adjacent Words

Agitate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AG'ITATE, v.t. [L. agito, from ago. See Act.]
1. To stir violently; to move back and forth with a quick motion; to shake or move briskly; as, to agitate water in a vessel.
2. To move or force into violent irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea.
3. To disturb, or excite into tumult; as, to agitate the mind or passions.
4. To discuss; to debate; to controvert; as, to agitate a question.
5. To consider on all sides; to revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to contrive by mental deliberation; as, politicians agitate desperate designs.
6. To move or actuate. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: try to stir up public opinion [syn: agitate, foment, stir up]
2: cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; "The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks" [syn: agitate, rouse, turn on, charge, commove, excite, charge up] [ant: calm, calm down, lull, quiet, quieten, still, tranquilize, tranquillise, tranquillize]
3: exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean is pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: crusade, fight, press, campaign, push, agitate]
4: move very slightly; "He shifted in his seat" [syn: stir, shift, budge, agitate]
5: move or cause to move back and forth; "The chemist shook the flask vigorously"; "My hands were shaking" [syn: shake, agitate]
6: change the arrangement or position of [syn: agitate, vex, disturb, commove, shake up, stir up, raise up]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-tated; -tating) Etymology: Latin agitatus, past participle of agitare, frequentative of agere to drive — more at agent Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. obsolete to give motion to b. to move with an irregular, rapid, or violent action <the storm agitated the sea> 2. to excite and often trouble the mind or feelings of ; disturb 3. a. to discuss excitedly and earnestly b. to stir up public discussion of intransitive verb to attempt to arouse public feeling <agitated for better schools> Synonyms: see shake, discompose • agitatedly adverb • agitation noun • agitational adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. disturb or excite (a person or feelings). 2 intr. (often foll. by for, against) stir up interest or concern, esp. publicly (agitated for tax reform). 3 tr. shake or move, esp. briskly. Derivatives: agitatedly adv. Etymology: L agitare agitat- frequent. of agere drive

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Agitate Ag"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Agitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Agitating.] [L. agitatus, p. p. of agitare to put in motion, fr. agere to move: cf. F. agiter. See Act, Agent.] 1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. ``Winds . . . agitate the air.'' --Cowper. 2. To move or actuate. [R.] --Thomson. 3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was greatly agitated. The mind of man is agitated by various passions. --Johnson. 4. To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a controversy hotly agitated. --Boyle. 5. To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians agitate desperate designs. Syn: To move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract; revolve; discuss; debate; canvass.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(agitates, agitating, agitated) 1. If people agitate for something, they protest or take part in political activity in order to get it. The women who worked in these mills had begun to agitate for better conditions. VERB: V for n 2. If you agitate something, you shake it so that it moves about. (FORMAL) All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush... VERB: V n 3. If something agitates you, it worries you and makes you unable to think clearly or calmly. The thought of them getting her possessions when she dies agitates her. VERB: V n 4. see also agitation

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Shake, jar, toss, betoss, rock, disturb, trouble (by brisk motion), convulse. 2. Excite, ruffle, rouse, ferment, disturb, perturb, betoss, toss, stir up, work up. 3. Fluster, flurry, hurry, confuse, disconcert. 4. Discuss, controvert, canvass, debate, dispute, investigate, examine, ventilate. 5. Revolve, consider on all sides, meditate, excogitate, deliberate, contrive, plan, devise. II. v. n. Engage in discussion, keep discussion going.

Moby Thesaurus

actuate, afflict, air, argue, arouse, assail, attack, beat, beat up, blow the coals, bother, bounce, broach, bug, burden, campaign, canvass, churn, churn up, concern, concuss, consider, convulse, debate, disarrange, discept, discombobulate, discomfit, discomfort, discompose, disconcert, dispute, disquiet, distract, distress, disturb, drive, electrify, embroil, exasperate, excite, fan, fan the flame, feed the fire, ferment, fire, flurry, fluster, flutter, foment, frazzle, fret, fuss, give concern, heat, heat up, impassion, impel, incense, incite, inflame, instigate, irritate, jar, joggle, jolt, jounce, load with care, moot, move, nettle, paddle, peeve, perturb, perturbate, pique, press, promote, provoke, psych, push, put to it, put up to, rally, rattle, rile, ripple, rock, roil, roughen, rouse, ruffle, rumple, set on, shake, shake up, shock, sic on, spook, stagger, stir, stir the embers, stir up, swirl, thrash out, throw, throw into confusion, tickle, trouble, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle, untune, upset, ventilate, whet, whip, whip up, whisk, work up