agitate for + cause
Supporting change or action
Use for when campaigning or arguing in support of something.
Activists agitated for reform across the country.
Agitate for, against, by, on, or in?
Agitate often appears with for or against when discussing political or social action. By is common in passive structures.
Quick answer
Which prepositions follow agitate?
Use agitate for to support a cause and agitate against to oppose something. In passive structures, agitated by describes the cause of worry or excitement. Agitate on and agitate in are not standard fixed combinations after this verb.
The group agitated for better wages.
Students agitated against the policy.
She was agitated by the news.
Students agitated against the policy.
She was agitated by the news.
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
agitate against + target
Opposing a policy or idea
Against introduces the thing being opposed.
Workers agitated against unsafe conditions.
agitated by + cause
Describing emotional disturbance
In passive structures, by introduces what caused worry, excitement, or upset.
He seemed agitated by the argument.
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
agitate for
They agitated for voting rights.
Standard for supporting a cause or demand.
agitate against
Residents agitated against the new law.
Standard for organised opposition.
agitate by
She was agitated by the sudden noise.
Standard in passive structures showing the cause.
agitate on
Nonstandard as a fixed pattern after agitate.
Use agitate for or agitate against instead.
agitate in
The crowd agitated in the square.
In can show location, not a fixed verb-preposition combination.
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using on after agitate
On is not the usual preposition after agitate for activism.
✕ They agitated on tax reform. ✓ They agitated for tax reform.Forgetting against for opposition
Use against when describing resistance.
✕ Citizens agitated the proposal. ✓ Citizens agitated against the proposal.Confusing active and passive structures
By is mainly used in passive sentences.
✕ The news agitated by him. ✓ He was agitated by the news.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. The union agitated ___ safer working conditions.
2. Residents agitated ___ the factory expansion.
3. She was agitated ___ the unexpected call.
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Frequently asked questions
What does agitate for mean?
It means to campaign or argue actively in support of something.
Can agitate against be used politically?
Yes. It is common in political and social contexts.
Is agitate on correct English?
Not usually as a fixed pattern after agitate. Use for or against depending on the meaning.
Related preposition guides
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