arousing
adjective
arous·ing
ə-ˈrau̇-ziŋ 
: causing stimulation to a state of excitement
especially
: sexually exciting
sexually arousing materials
He found the smell of her perfume arousing. —
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh The strip was called Male Call, and it featured the most arousing woman of my young life: Miss Lace. —Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill
arousingly
adverb
… Frischmann's lyrics are still arousingly sexy and smart.
—Dan Aquilante
Dan Aquilante
Examples of arousing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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.
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
Cite this Entry
“Arousing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arousing. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share