A person who agitates or stirs up public opinion, especially to promote social or political change.
From Latin 'agitans' (present participle of agitare, meaning 'to drive, move, disturb'). The suffix '-ant' denotes an agent or doer of an action. First used in English in the 17th century to describe those who actively promoted causes.
Agitants have been crucial throughout history—from abolitionists fighting slavery to civil rights activists—but the word itself became especially popular during the Russian Revolution when communist agitants used art, music, and theater to spread their message to ordinary people.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.