Agita
Noun
- Anxiety, stress, or aggravation.
Example Sentences
“A feeling of agita overcame me as the storm clouds rolled in.”
“I don’t know whether it’s anxiety or something I ate, but I feel a bit of agita.”
“Go take a walk and try to let go of some of that agita.”
Word Origin
Italian, 1970s
Why this word?
Can you imagine someone with a thick New York accent complaining about their agita? It’s not a stereotype; it’s the true origin of the word. “Agita” (“a feeling of nervousness or anxiety”) originated in the 1970s with New York City’s population of Italian immigrants. “Agita” comes from an Americanized pronunciation of an Italian dialect word, “acido,” referring to acid or heartburn. However, the more figurative usage relating to anxiety likely stemmed from the word “agitation.”