Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Emotionally stimulated or excited: Describes a state of being strongly affected by or responsive to emotions, often to an excessive degree.
   • Sexually excited: Describes a state of feeling or showing strong sexual desire.
   • Stimulated to action or tension: Describes a state of being stirred up, provoked, or brought to a point of readiness or high tension.

Examples of Usage

• Emotionally aroused:

  • The crowd became aroused by the speaker's passionate words.
  • She felt aroused to anger by the unfair accusation.

• Sexually aroused:

  • He felt aroused by her presence.
  • The film contained scenes intended to make viewers feel aroused.

• Stimulated to action/tension:

  • The community was aroused to protest by the new policy.
  • The soldiers were aroused and ready for the coming battle.

Advanced Usage

• "to be aroused by": to be emotionally or sexually stimulated by something specific.

  • He was easily aroused by sentimental music.
  • She was aroused by the romantic novel.

• "to become aroused": to enter a state of emotional or sexual excitement.

  • The audience became aroused during the intense climax of the play.

Variants and Related Words

• Arouse (verb): To evoke or awaken a feeling, response, or state.

  • The alarm aroused the sleeping guards.

• Arousal (noun): The state of being aroused; the act of arousing.

  • The news caused widespread arousal of public interest.

Synonyms

• Emotionally: Agitated, excited, stirred up, worked up, impassioned.
• Sexually: Excited, turned on, horny (informal), desirous.
• To Action: Incited, provoked, galvanized, mobilized.

Antonyms

• Emotionally: Calm, placid, unemotional, indifferent.
• Sexually: Unaroused, frigid, uninterested.
• To Action: Pacified, subdued, quelled.

Related Phrases

• Sexual arousal: The specific state of being sexually excited.

  • The study measured levels of sexual arousal.

• Arouse suspicion: To cause someone to become suspicious.

  • His strange behavior began to arouse suspicion. (Note: This uses the verb 'arouse').

Notes on Usage

• The word aroused often requires context to clarify its specific meaning (emotional, sexual, or action-oriented), as it can be ambiguous on its own.
• In formal or academic writing, specifying the type of arousal (e.g., , ) is common for clarity.
• As an adjective, it typically follows a linking verb like , , or .

Adjective

1. (of persons) excessively affected by emotion
   • he would become emotional over nothing at all
   • she was worked up about all the noise
2. keenly excited (especially sexually) or indicating excitement
   • his face all ablaze with excitement- Bram Stoker
   • he was aflame with desire
3. feeling great sexual desire
   • feeling horny
4. brought to a state of great tension
   • all wound up for a fight
5. emotionally aroused
6. aroused to action
   • the aroused opposition