Meaning & use

agitator

noun·Academic

Last updated

a person who stirs up public opinion or unrest, especially for a political or social cause; also, a device that stirs or mixes a substance.

See it in a sentence

Authorities labeled the union organizer a dangerous agitator.

The washing machine's agitator broke down, leaving clothes tangled.

A note on using this word

Can describe either a person, often used disapprovingly by those opposed to the cause, or a mechanical part that mixes liquids, such as in a washing machine.

Words with a similar meaning

instigatorrabble-rouser

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Words with an opposite meaning

Another way to use it

2. noun

a mechanical device used to stir or mix substances, as in a washing machine or an industrial tank.

The factory's chemical tanks each had a rotating agitator to keep the mixture even.

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