arousing

adjective

arous·​ing ə-ˈrau̇-ziŋ How to pronounce arousing (audio)
: causing stimulation to a state of excitement
especially : sexually exciting
sexually arousing materials
He found the smell of her perfume arousing. Irvine Welsh
The strip was called Male Call, and it featured the most arousing woman of my young life: Miss Lace. Pete Hamill
arousingly adverb
… Frischmann's lyrics are still arousingly sexy and smart. Dan Aquilante

Examples of arousing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Squeezing lube out of a bottle until the cold goop squirts out isn't the most arousing act. Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 4 Feb. 2023 Some research suggests that men around the world find a specific waist-to-hip ratio (0.7) to be most arousing. Ogi Ogas, Discover Magazine, 20 Sep. 2011 Amazon Prime members can also ship items to a locker to avoid arousing suspicions when the parcel is delivered, Valentine Lent said. Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2022 That’s sort of gross, but also a strangely arousing way to describe the painful expansion of self that comes with falling in love. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2022 The supervisor also recommended performing the steps two to three hours after trying to interview members of a household to avoid arousing suspicions from higher-ups who could track where census takers had been through their IPhones. Mike Schneider, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of arouse

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arousing was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near arousing

Cite this Entry

“Arousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arousing. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!