agitate
/ˈæ.d͡ʒɪ.teɪt/verb
agitate is spelled A-G-I-T-A-T-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, agitate means “To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in agitate?
| Letters | 7: A-G-I-T-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is agitate?
Agitate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce agitate?
- US /ˈæ.d͡ʒɪ.teɪt/
Agitate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-agitate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of agitate
- agitates present, singular, he/she/it
- agitating participle, present
- agitated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does agitate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disturb or excite; to perturb or stir up (a person).
He was greatly agitated by the news.
- 2
To cause to move with a violent, irregular action; to shake.
to agitate water in a vessel
- 3
To participate in political agitation (sense 3).
- 4
obsoleteTo set in motion; to actuate.
- 5
archaicTo discuss or debate.
- 6
archaicTo mull over, or think deeply about; to consider, to devise.
Politicians agitate desperate designs.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Agitate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | aufwühlen, aufrühren, rühren, schütteln, umrühren, durchrühren |
| Portuguese | agitar |
| Spanish | agitar , alborotar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does agitate come from?
From Middle English agitat(e) (“set in motion”), borrowed from Latin agitātus, perfect passive participle of agitō (“to put in motion”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), frequentative of agō (“to drive, move, push”), see -tō. Cognate with French agiter. See also act and agent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).