AGITATE

agitate, vex, disturb, commove, shake up, stir up, raise up

(verb) change the arrangement or position of

agitate, rouse, turn on, charge, commove, excite, charge up

(verb) cause to be agitated, excited, or roused; “The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks”

shake, agitate

(verb) move or cause to move back and forth; “The chemist shook the flask vigorously”; “My hands were shaking”

stir, shift, budge, agitate

(verb) move very slightly; “He shifted in his seat”

agitate, foment, stir up

(verb) try to stir up public opinion

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

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

(transitive) To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb. [from 16th c.]

(transitive) To cause to move with a violent, irregular action; to shake. [from 16th c.]

(transitive, obsolete) To set in motion; to actuate. [16th–18th c.]

(transitive, now, rare) To discuss or debate. [from 16th c.]

(transitive, now, rare) To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to consider, to devise. [from 17th c.]

Synonyms

• (discuss actively): discuss, debate, canvass

• move, shake, excite, rouse, disturb, distract, revolve

Antonyms

• (stir up): appease, calm, quieten

Source: Wiktionary


Ag"i*tate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Agitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Agitating.] Etym: [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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

26 April 2024

CITYSCAPE

(noun) a viewpoint toward a city or other heavily populated area; “the dominant character of the cityscape is it poverty”


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