agitated

[ aj-i-tey-tid ]

adjective

1. excited; disturbed.

Other Words From

• agi·tated·ly adverb
• un·agi·tated adjective
• un·agi·tated·ly adverb

Example Sentences

On the journey, Mrs Burton described him becoming "more and more agitated" and was sending several text messages.

From BBC

Friday to a call from the Silverado memory care facility on Warwick Avenue about a resident who was agitated and had broken a window, according to a Sheriff’s Department news release.

From Los Angeles Times

In it, she is agitated and scared, running between civilians lying in their own blood, next to dead bodies.

From BBC

Of course, even this quick trip was not without incident — Jason ended up too agitated to actually attend the author breakfast — but that’s the nature of his disorder.

From Salon

But Oliver becomes increasingly agitated, ranting and pacing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aroused
• excited

More About Agitated

What does agitated mean?

To feel agitated is to feel anxious, bothered, or worried.

The verb agitate means to make someone feel this way.

It can also mean to shake something up, stir it up, or cause it to move around roughly, as in The storm is agitating the water, stirring up huge waves. The adjective agitated can also be used to describe something that has been stirred up in this way.

The noun agitation can refer to the feeling of being agitated, as in There is a lot of agitation among the employees who have not yet been paid. 

Example: The cable news channel blaring in the waiting room makes me really agitated—they really shouldn’t have that around people who are about to get their blood pressure taken.

Where does agitated come from?

The first records of the word agitated as an adjective come from the 1600s. It comes from the past tense of the verb agitate, which derives from the Latin verb agitāre, meaning “to set in motion.”

Using agitated to describe things or people usually means that something has been stirred up or set in motion in a way that’s a bit messy or turbulent. When people become agitated, their emotions have been stirred up—the word implies the opposite of stillness or calm. The same goes for things that are described as agitated.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to agitated?

• agitatedly (adverb)
• agitate (verb)

What are some synonyms for agitated?

• worked up
• tense
• anxious
• disconcerted
• flustered
• perturbed
• roiled
• stirred up
• disquieted

What are some words that share a root or word element with agitated? 

• agitation
• agitator
• agita

What are some words that often get used in discussing agitated?

• stress
• upset
• feeling
• make
• get
• extremely

How is agitated used in real life?

Describing someone (or yourself) as agitated usually means that something or someone is causing feelings of tension or stress.

Wild, blustery wind blowing like mad. I can never understand why it makes me feel so agitated.

— Jill (@PolyFacets) October 16, 2012

Having an operator come on every 20 seconds and say "we do appreciate your patience" only makes me more agitated that i'm waiting so long

— Jonathan Randall (@thejonrandall) March 4, 2011

hmm, for some reason drinking cold brew did not help my problem of feeling extremely agitated

— Frederick "Big Fred" Orlando (@whitneyarner) November 6, 2019

 

Try using agitated!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of agitated?

A. calm
B. perturbed
C. flustered
D. tense