Agitation definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AGITA'TION, n.
1. The act of shaking; the state of being moved with violence, or with irregular action; commotion; as, the sea after a storm is in agitation.
2. Disturbance of tranquility in the mind; perturbation; excitement of passion.
3. Discussion; examination of a subject in controversy.
4. A state of being deliberated upon, with a view to contrivance, or plan to be adopted; as, a scheme is in agitation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
2: a state of agitation or turbulent change or development; "the political ferment produced new leadership"; "social unrest" [syn: agitation, ferment, fermentation, tempestuousness, unrest]
3: the feeling of being agitated; not calm [ant: calmness]
4: disturbance usually in protest [syn: agitation, excitement, turmoil, upheaval, hullabaloo]
5: the act of agitating something; causing it to move around (usually vigorously)

Merriam Webster's

noun see agitate

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act or process of agitating or being agitated. 2 mental anxiety or concern. Etymology: F agitation or L agitatio (as AGITATE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Agitation Ag`i*ta"tion, n. [L. agitatio: cf. F. agitation.] 1. The act of agitating, or the state of being agitated; the state of being moved with violence, or with irregular action; commotion; as, the sea after a storm is in agitation. 2. A stirring up or arousing; disturbance of tranquillity; disturbance of mind which shows itself by physical excitement; perturbation; as, to cause any one agitation. 3. Excitement of public feeling by discussion, appeals, etc.; as, the antislavery agitation; labor agitation. ``Religious agitations.'' --Prescott. 4. Examination or consideration of a subject in controversy, or of a plan proposed for adoption; earnest discussion; debate. A logical agitation of the matter. --L'Estrange. The project now in agitation. --Swift. Syn: Emotion; commotion; excitement; trepidation; tremor; perturbation. See Emotion.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If someone is in a state of agitation, they are very worried or upset, and show this in their behaviour, movements, or voice. Danny returned to Father's house in a state of intense agitation... = distress see also agitate

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Agitating, shaking, shake, concussion. 2. Disturbance, jarring, commotion, convulsion, ferment, storm, tumult, turmoil. 3. Excitement, emotion, perturbation, trepidation, discomposure, distraction, ruffle, flutter, flurry, hurry, tremor, fever, fret. 4. Discussion, disputation, debate, controversy, canvassing, ventilation.

Moby Thesaurus

ado, aggravation, all-overs, angst, animation, anxiety, anxiety hysteria, anxiety neurosis, anxious bench, anxious concern, anxious seat, anxiousness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, arousal, arousing, attack of nerves, bluster, bother, botheration, brawl, broil, brouhaha, buck fever, burst, bustle, cacophony, cankerworm of care, care, case of nerves, chaos, chills of fear, churning, cold creeps, cold shivers, cold sweat, commotion, concern, concernment, confusion, creeps, disquiet, disquietude, distress, disturbance, dither, dread, ebullience, ebullition, eddy, effervescence, electrification, embroilment, exacerbation, exasperation, excessive irritability, excitation, excitement, exhilaration, fanaticism, fear, fear and trembling, feery-fary, ferment, fermentation, fidgetiness, fidgets, firing, fit, flap, flurry, fluster, flutter, flutteriness, fomentation, foofaraw, foreboding, forebodingness, frenzy, fume, furor, furore, fury, fuss, fussiness, galvanization, goose bumps, gooseflesh, heartquake, horripilation, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, hurry, hurry-scurry, incitation, incitement, inflammation, infuriation, inquietude, instigation, irritation, jimjams, lather, lathering up, maelstrom, malaise, misgiving, morbid excitability, nerves, nervosity, nervous stomach, nervous strain, nervous tension, nervousness, overanxiety, palpitation, pandemonium, panic, panickiness, passion, pell-mell, pep rally, pep talk, perturbation, pins and needles, pother, provocation, pucker, quaking, quiver of terror, rabble-rousing, racket, rage, restlessness, row, ruckus, ruffle, rumpus, scramble, shaking, shivers, solicitude, spasm, spell of nerves, spurt, stage fright, state of nerves, steaming up, stew, stimulation, stimulus, stir, stirring, stirring up, stirring-up, storminess, strain, suspense, sweat, swirl, swirling, tempestuousness, tension, thrill of fear, tic, to-do, trepidation, trepidity, trouble, tumult, tumultuousness, turbulence, turmoil, twitching, uneasiness, unquiet, unquietness, uproar, upset, vellication, vexation, vortex, whipping up, whirl, wildness, working up, yeastiness, zeal, zealousness