agitator
nounUK /ˈædʒɪteɪtə/ · US /ˈædʒɪteɪtɚ/
Etymology From agitate + -or.
1
One who agitates; one who stirs up or excites others, for example political reformers.
- Near-synonyms: instigator; see also Thesaurus:troublemaker
- In addition, they kept a watch on political agitators and foreigners arriving and departing at the port.1998, Rajnarayan Chandavarkar, Imperial Power and Popular Politics, page 208:
1 more example
- I’m only aware of one anti-ICE raid incident in California over the summer in which a single agitator pointed a pistol at federal agents, and that person is apparently still at large.2025 September 23, Patrick G. Eddington, “On Trump’s Anti-Antifa Executive Order”, in Cato Institute:
2
An implement for shaking or mixing.
3
Historical One of a body of men appointed by the army, in Oliver Cromwell's time, to look after their interests.
- Derived terms
- coagitator, silent agitator