Basic Details
Word: Agitator
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who stirs up people to protest or to demand change; also the part of a washing machine that moves the clothes around.
Synonyms: activist, campaigner, troublemaker
Antonyms: peacemaker
Word origin: Comes from Latin agitare, to drive or shake, from agere, to drive.
How to Spell Agitator
Syllables: ag - i - ta - tor
Tricky part: The ending is tor, not ter, and the vowel after g is i. Neither the g nor the t is doubled.
Watch out for: agitater, agetator, aggitator
Memory tip: Agitate first, then swap the final e for or: agitat + or, the same ending as in narrator and creator.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The agitator gave a fiery speech outside the factory gate.
Example 2: Police said an agitator had started the trouble at the market.
Example 3: The workers chose a calm leader rather than a noisy agitator.
Fun Fact
In a top-loading washing machine, the agitator is the post in the middle that twists back and forth to push the clothes through the water.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Police arrested the young rtogiaat who had led the march.
a) gladiator
b) agitator
c) alligator
d) aviator
Show answer
b) agitator. The jumble has a g and two t's, so aviator is out, and gladiator and alligator both need an l.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ag_tat_r
a) i, e
b) e, o
c) i, o
d) a, e
Show answer
c) i, o. The vowel after g is i, as in agile, and the word ends in or.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word agitator as used in the sentence:
The mill owners blamed a single agitator for the strike.
a) peacemaker
b) troublemaker
c) bystander
d) mediator
Show answer
b) troublemaker. An agitator stirs up trouble, so troublemaker is the closest word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An agitator at a meeting usually tries to ____.
a) serve the food
b) lock the doors
c) keep everyone silent
d) stir people up
Show answer
d) stir people up
2. In a washing machine, what does the agitator do?
a) measures the soap
b) dries the clothes
c) moves the clothes around
d) heats the water
Show answer
c) moves the clothes around
