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.

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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. )

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.

Example Sentences

Crans-Montana, too, has aroused that same angry feeling of trust betrayed.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2026

After charming his way into the house of a couple who believed his tale and gave him thousands of euros, he eventually aroused their suspicions.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

The laughter it aroused was a loud, continuous, falling-off-the-couch, dangerous-for-fear-of-heart-attack laughter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

Yet Hansen has since aroused controversy, such as when he argued in 2000 that non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases like methane play a large role in climate change.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025

There is a group of six or seven people gathered just a little way behind me who have aroused my curiosity a little.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

• anxious
• apprehensive
• discouraged
• distressed
• fearful
• frightened
• horrified
• intimidated
• nervous
• perplexed
• perturbed
• scared
• shocked
• spooked
• startled
• timid