AROUSED Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

aroused 1 of 2

adjective

as in roused

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as in excited

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aroused

2 of 2

verb

past tense of arouse

as in woke

to cause to stop sleeping the rooster's crow aroused me from my deep sleep

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in awoke

to cease to be asleep set the alarm so we would arouse at 5:00 a.m.

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as in provoked

to rouse to strong feeling or action the court's controversial decision aroused many to protest and to lobby the legislature for a constitutional amendment

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of aroused

Verb

In the doorframe was the manager, sniffing around, suspicions aroused. — Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 His efforts, however, encountered their greatest obstacle after World War II due to the suspicions aroused by Philip’s family’s uncomfortable ties to the Nazis. — Diego Parrado, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026 In an unexpected move, China blocked tech company Meta from acquiring artificial intelligence startup Manus in April, after the deal apparently aroused government concern about the transfer of advanced technology. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 In an unexpected move, China blocked tech giant Meta from acquiring artificial intelligence startup Manus in April after the deal apparently aroused government concern about the transfer of advanced technology. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026 The song was inspired by his boyfriend, who, when aroused, came over his head. — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026 As virality goes, this is not a big number, but the passion that the account has aroused dwarfs its reach. — David Kamp, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Overview The emergence of teleSUR has aroused significant interest due to its uniqueness of being the first regional television channel purely financed by more than three Latin American states. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026 Bell is a revelation as the nebbish, envious and conflictedly aroused Niall — a desperate man hiding from others and himself. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for aroused

Adjective

There’s a flash of light, and a wind blows over the stunned, awakened audience.

— Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026
Angine desperately returns to the store, again and again, to get her fix from Malaise, her face reddening from blood just below the surface, a canvas of her awakened desire.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025

Definition of awakened

Adjective

The Fear Economy Pew Research found in August 2026 that 52% of Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, up from 37% in 2021.

— Bob Pearson, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Upon their arrival, the couple stopped to greet excited fans, several of whom had brought them flowers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of excited

Verb

Ukrainians awoke on Wednesday to find that their military had been restricted in its use of Starshield, the American satellite service undergirding swaths of the nation’s defensive infrastructure and weaponry.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
The Pope's surgery, which the doctors said was successful, lasted about 90 minutes, after which Leo awoke normally and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital's 10th floor.

— Scott Detrow, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of awoke

Verb

Sectarian violence made religious mobilization increasingly unattractive, while foreign occupation provoked an awareness of Iraqi nationhood.

— Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026
Even in a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world, the scale of the killings in such a short space of time has provoked shock.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of provoked

Adjective

Bruno still gives them a seven, but that man’s always going to be horny on main, so that tracks.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 manga laid the groundwork for some of the genre's most enduring tropes (gender switching, horny old guys, tournaments), and this is the second anime adaptation, this time from Studio MAPPA.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of horny

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“Aroused.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aroused. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of aroused

adjective

verb

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