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Stimulus
Something that provokes a response or increases activity; in biology, a detectable change that triggers a physiological or behavioral reaction.
noun💡
Imagine This
Imagine a dim room where a flickering light acts as a stimulus that makes your pupils dilate, your heart rate rise, and you instinctively move toward a door that just opened.
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Sounds Like
STIM-yuh-luhs
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Looks Like
resembles 'stimulation' and shares a root with 'stimulate'
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Remember This
Stimulus is singular; stimuli is the plural. In psychology, stimuli trigger responses; in economics, a policy may be described as a stimulus to boost activity.
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Other Forms
stimulinoun
stimulateverb
stimulationnoun
stimulantnoun
stimulativeadjective
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Connect With
response, trigger, cue, impetus, motivation, incentive
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Note
Do not confuse stimulus with stimulant (a drug that increases activity) or with stimulation (the act of stimulating). In everyday use, a stimulus is the trigger, not the act itself.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The bright light acted as a stimulus that caused the pupils to dilate.
- In Pavlov's experiments, the bell served as a stimulus that elicited salivation after conditioning.
Synonyms
triggercuepromptincentiveimpetus
Antonyms
inhibitiondeterrentdampener
Etymology
From Latin stimulus 'goad, spur', from stimulare 'to goad, urge' (stimu- meaning to urge or provoke).
Mnemonic
STIM = Start Things In Motion. A stimulus is something that starts a response.
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Clemency
nounMercy or leniency shown toward someone, especially by a judge or official, sparing or reducing punishment.
Mystical
adjectiveRelating to mysticism or to the spiritual, unseen, or inexplicable; having a mysterious, awe-inspiring quality that suggests the supernatural.
Averse
adjectiveHaving a strong dislike or opposition to something; unwilling to do or engage in it.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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