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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

  • unaroused adjective
  • well-aroused adjective

Etymology

Origin of aroused

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

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.

I recall the intense inner excitement aroused in my heart by Alla Nazimova’s enactment of Mrs. Alving in a performance of Ibsen’s “Ghosts” in the 1930s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

They did not look as gaunt as the hostages freed a week earlier - their appearance had aroused anger in Israel and elsewhere.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025

Davis’ extensive criminal record, and the leniency he had received over the decades, aroused outrage.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

It was a public health success, but it aroused a tremendous local backlash.

From Salon • Sep. 3, 2024

She aroused both his fury and his fear.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.