1. (n.) 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. (n.) A stirring up or arousing; disturbance of tranquility; disturbance of mind which shows itself by physical excitement; perturbation; as, to cause any one agitation.
3. (n.) Excitement of public feeling by discussion, appeals, etc.; as, the antislavery agitation; labor agitation.
4. (n.) Examination or consideration of a subject in controversy, or of a plan proposed for adoption; earnest discussion; debate.
Thesaurus Entries
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
