agitated

adjective

ag·​i·​tat·​ed ˈa-jə-ˌtā-təd 

: troubled in mind : disturbed and upset

When Caswall asked him to describe what he had seen …, he got very agitated …

—Bram Stoker

was so agitated she could hardly speak

agitatedly adverb

pacing back and forth agitatedly

Synonyms

• excited
• feverish
• frenzied
• heated
• hectic
• hyperactive
• overactive
• overwrought

Examples of agitated in a Sentence

all ferry crossings were cancelled because of the agitated waters around the islands

by the time they finally showed up, long after midnight, we'd become so agitated that we never did get to sleep that night

Recent Examples on the Web

The climax is a horrendous German burning of a village, as striking for its visual imagery as for its agitated music. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

The inaugural film in The Conjuring franchise understands that seasoned viewers of haunted-house films know what signs to look for by now: cold spots, agitated pets, clocks that stop ticking. —Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2025

Since when is so much of the world desensitized to lies and so agitated by truth. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

Positive interactions with parents, friends, and teachers can help even the most reactive child become less agitated over time. —Gail O'Connor, Parents, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of agitate

First Known Use

1684, in the meaning defined above