stimulating
Americanadjective
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causing interest, inspiration, or incitement to action.
We offer a stimulating work environment with lots of opportunity for growth.
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inciting; acting as a cause.
Rapid technological change is described by some authors as a stimulating factor in the decline of traditional ways of growing food.
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having the property of exciting a nerve, gland, etc., to its functional activity.
This plant tincture has a stimulating effect on the liver, spleen, and digestive system.
adjective
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inspiring new ideas or enthusiasm
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(of a physical activity) making one feel refreshed and energetic
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of stimulating
First recorded in 1640–50; stimulate ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Something that is stimulating is exciting or interesting. If your teacher wants the whole class to dress up like pandas because it'll be more fun to learn about the adorable creatures that way, you have a stimulating teacher and a stimulating lesson. Stimulating things may activate the mind, the body, and the emotions in a positive way. They can make you feel more alert, engaged, or enthusiastic. Working to solve a challenging puzzle, participating in a lively discussion, or watching an informative documentary may all be stimulating activities. If seeing a close friend makes you feel happy and excited, it's a stimulating experience.
Vocabulary lists containing stimulating
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.
With FAPD, the goal of treatment is decreasing the inflammation that causes irreversible scarring and, if possible, stimulating hair growth in follicles that haven’t been completely damaged.
From Slate • May 23, 2026
Not everyone has a job that is purely intellectually stimulating and can be carried into their senior years, but it helps.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The U.K. rate setter estimates that the interest rate at which the BOE is neither stimulating nor restraining the economy is 3%, while the current rate is 3.75%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
"Our findings are encouraging, suggesting that consistently engaging in a variety of mentally stimulating activities throughout life may make a difference in cognition," said Zammit.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
In this sense, statistics is to probability as engineering is to physics—an applied science based on a more intellectually stimulating foundational discipline.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
