| Library / English Dictionary |
AROUSAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of arousing
Example:
the purpose of art is the arousal of emotions
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("arousal" is a kind of...):
change of state (the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "arousal"):
awakening; wakening; waking up (the act of waking)
excitation; excitement (something that agitates and arouses)
incitation; incitement (an act of urging on or spurring on or rousing to action or instigating)
inflaming; inflammation (arousal to violent emotion)
inspiration; stirring (arousing to a particular emotion or action)
stimulation (the act of arousing an organism to action)
titillation (an agreeable arousal)
Derivation:
arouse (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))
Sense 2
Meaning:
Mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse
Synonyms:
arousal; foreplay; stimulation
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("arousal" is a kind of...):
sex; sex activity; sexual activity; sexual practice (activities associated with sexual intercourse)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "arousal"):
caressing; cuddling; fondling; hugging; kissing; necking; petting; smooching; snuggling (affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs))
feel (manual stimulation of the genital area for sexual pleasure)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Awakening from sleep
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("arousal" is a kind of...):
wakefulness (a periodic state during which you are conscious and aware of the world)
Derivation:
arouse (stop sleeping)
arouse (cause to become awake or conscious)
Sense 4
Meaning:
A state of heightened physiological activity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("arousal" is a kind of...):
physical condition; physiological condition; physiological state (the condition or state of the body or bodily functions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "arousal"):
alerting; alertness (a state of readiness to respond)
emotional arousal (the arousal of strong emotions and emotional behavior)
excitation; innervation; irritation (the neural or electrical arousal of an organ or muscle or gland)
sexual arousal (the arousal of sexual desires in preparation for sexual behavior)
desire (something that is desired)
Context examples:
In previous studies, the researchers reported multiple serotonin-related brain abnormalities in SIDS cases, including a decrease in serotonin in regions involved in breathing, heart rate patterns, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and arousal during sleep.
(Blood of SIDS infants contains high levels of serotonin, National Institutes of Health)
When people are feeling excited, fearful, or anxious, the electric charge travels faster through the skin, providing an objective way for researchers to gauge social anxiety and other forms of psychological arousal.
(Animals’ presence may ease social anxiety in kids with autism, NIH)
