arousal
arousal Lexical Profile
arousal Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A state of heightened sexual excitement and physiological readiness.
"The clinical study examined how stress hormones affect human desire and arousal."
The action or fact of awakening someone from sleep, or the physiological and psychological state of being awake, alert, and responsive to stimuli.
"Caffeine increases physiological arousal, helping shift-workers maintain focus during late hours."
The act of evoking or stirring up a strong emotion, interest, or response.
"The documentary was praised for its arousal of public sympathy toward displaced communities."
• Rhymes for arousal
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the early 19th century from the verb 'arouse' (combining the intensive prefix 'a-' with Middle English 'rousen', meaning to shake the feathers or stir up, originally a hawking term) plus the noun-forming suffix '-al'.