as in uneasy
marked by or causing agitation or uncomfortable feelings
no more agitating waits to find out sports scores—get them instantly online!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
there's no need to agitate the patient about little things
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shaking
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
set the washing machine so it will agitate for four minutes before going into the rinse cycle
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in discussing
to talk about (an issue) usually from various points of view and for the purpose of arriving at a decision or opinion
a question which has been agitated by the legislature time and time again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of agitating
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
If the leaves are especially dirty, soak in cold water, gently agitating them to loosen dirt and grit.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Strand Larsen has been keen on the possibility of the move but is not agitating to leave Wolves.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The moon’s agitating clash with Chiron intensifies anxiety.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Peter died in 2019, but Jane is still acting and agitating, starring on Netflix's Grace and Frankie for seven seasons, as well in the Book Club films (2018, 2023) and 80 for Brady (2023).
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
And avoid agitating material — rubbing can create pilling.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
But his margin over more agitating players like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames is relatively small.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
He's been agitating for a trade, explicitly behind the scenes and not-so-covertly in public, in the intervening months.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, those on the right are agitating to declare left wing activists as terrorists.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
If the leaves are especially dirty, soak in cold water, gently agitating them to loosen dirt and grit.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
Strand Larsen has been keen on the possibility of the move but is not agitating to leave Wolves.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
The moon’s agitating clash with Chiron intensifies anxiety.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
Peter died in 2019, but Jane is still acting and agitating, starring on Netflix's Grace and Frankie for seven seasons, as well in the Book Club films (2018, 2023) and 80 for Brady (2023).
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2025
And avoid agitating material — rubbing can create pilling.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025
But his margin over more agitating players like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames is relatively small.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
He's been agitating for a trade, explicitly behind the scenes and not-so-covertly in public, in the intervening months.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agitating
Adjective
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Earlier this year, Stewart admitted the thought left him uneasy.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
This stirs an uneasy thought in the astrobiologist’s mind.—
Dirk Schulze-Makuch,
Big Think,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Joe Manchin is back to stirring the pot in Washington.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Hurricane season is stirring again after an unusual three-week quiet spell.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There's other important bathroom etiquette travelers should keep in mind to avoid bothering flight attendants.—
Katie Nadworny,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Lead with Gratitude and Grace Calling out someone for bothering you is always tricky.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a new video with Insightec, the Oscar-winning screenwriter, 76, opened up about struggling for years with essential tremor, which left him unable to do simple tasks without shaking, such as holding a cup or writing by hand.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
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Steam the clams until the shells open, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on the size of the clams, shaking the pan once or twice.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Operational teams are discussing coordination activities to optimize observations and data collection.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The topic of conversation came up as the Wayward actor was discussing the possibility of appearing an upcoming season of With Love, Meghan, alongside his wife, Troian Bellisario.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her black-and-white paintings mixed cartoon characters with psychological complexities resulting in sometimes-disturbing interpretations of pop icons.—
Jane Wooldridge,
Miami Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
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Ask them to retell their experience watching it The best thing to do when a child sees something disturbing is to talk about it.—
Robyn Koslowitz,
Parents,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While mainstream fears around the youth taking drugs, the youth turning gay, and the combination of the two had been swirling for decades, the panic reached its zenith with Clinton-era nightlife raids and legislation like the RAVE Act of 2003.—
Andrew Pasquier,
Them.,
18 Sep. 2025
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Rumors are swirling in Kansas political circles that Republican leaders are considering initiating a special session like the one that just concluded in Missouri and produced a new map that splinters Kansas City into three congressional districts.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With Jorgen Strand Larsen, who scored vital goals last season, suffering from an injury and a distracting transfer saga amid interest from Newcastle, Pereira has had to work with three crucial players through the spine of his team either missing or below par.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Here, the challenge was capturing speed, altitude, and precision in a way that feels immediate without distracting from the story.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agitating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agitating. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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