galvanizing

adjective

gal·​va·​niz·​ing ˈgal-və-ˌnī-ziŋ How to pronounce galvanizing (audio)
: stimulating in a way that provokes action or effort
… makes it easy to see he isn't the next Jordan, if only because he lacks the galvanizing effect on teammates that MJ had.Bill Simmons
The causes of today's discontent … are less galvanizing because they are less susceptible to summation in pithy slogans like "stop the war" and "law and order."George F. Will
galvanizingly adverb
… he was still known to the world by the clipped, galvanizingly dramatic name under which he had emerged as the country's most prominent advocate of black nationalism: Malcolm X. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Examples of galvanizing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In fact, this was a galvanizing moment in my relationship with Brian Grazer that ultimately would lead us to launch a company. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025 Mamdani’s victory in the financial capital of the world was seen as a galvanizing moment for the progressive wing of the party and a sign of an insurgent mood among its base. Solcyré Burga, Time, 10 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of galvanizing was in 1949

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Cite this Entry

“Galvanizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galvanizing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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