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aroused

American  
[uh-rouzd] / əˈraʊzd /

adjective

  1. stirred up to strong response.

    The Legislature must answer for its actions to an informed and highly aroused public.

  2. showing or feeling sexual excitement.

    "I must ask you that question more often, husband," she says, an aroused glow in her eyes.

  3. awake and alert.

    In this long arctic winter the new moon makes me lethargic, and conversely the full moon keeps me pleasantly aroused and energetic.


verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of arouse.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of aroused

arouse ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

Explanation

Use aroused to describe someone who is emotionally stirred up. The crowd at the protest march might be so aroused with passion that you can almost feel it through the television screen. Aroused has rouse at its root, an Old French hawking and hunting term that described a hawk ruffling its feathers. Aroused also means sexually excited. Your mastiff is aroused by the neighbor's beagle, who is in heat. You and the neighbor will have to keep the dogs apart for several days or you may end up as "grandparents" to some interesting looking puppies.

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Vocabulary lists containing aroused

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Aroused by fierce party competition and irresistible entertainment, an astonishing 78 percent of eligible voters came to the polls and handed William Henry Harrison the victory.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Aroused by Bacon’s defiance, a new Assembly passed reforms to empower ordinary settlers and clean up official corruption.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Aroused from Curtain'd sleep … but what secrets about Elizabethan playhouse conditions will be revealed by the excavation of the Shoreditch theatre?

From The Guardian • Jun. 7, 2012

Aroused by the possibilities of victory, other tribes are besieging Tureen with their demands.

From Time Magazine Archive

Aroused by loud noises in the neighborhood of his residence, the minister arose early, dressed and hastened into the street.

From Hanover; Or The Persecution of the Lowly A Story of the Wilmington Massacre. by Thorne, Jack