as in evoking
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
the role elicited the actress's flair for comedy that previous directors had overlooked
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Recent Examples of eliciting
This doesn’t last long, because his friends immediately force him to shut down those thoughts, eliciting big laughs from the festival audience.
—
Rafael Motamayor,
Variety,
24 June 2026
In response, the Fed raised or lowered interest rates to increase or decrease liquidity, eliciting both cheers and jeers from political and economic opinion makers.
—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Over more than 1,000 conversations with a collection of donors, the AI model Claude was nearly three times as effective at eliciting donations for Save the Children as a group of professional fundraisers who had worked on campaigns for the humanitarian group.
—
Miriam Waldvogel,
Washington Post,
19 June 2026
Kudrow said, eliciting laughs from the audience.
—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
Since Socrates, dialectical thinking had been a method of eliciting truth through questioning and refutation.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Inside the cage was a mouse—the mouse that Renova had significantly smoothed—eliciting a few gasps from nearby assistants.
—
William Norwich,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
Three members of Marshall’s family cracked a bottle of Champagne against the hull of the 746-foot USNS Thurgood Marshall, eliciting cheers at the very moment sunlight broke through the marine layer.
—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Research supports the idea that customized gifts are more effective at eliciting a positive response.
—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Rafael Motamayor,
Variety,
24 June 2026
In response, the Fed raised or lowered interest rates to increase or decrease liquidity, eliciting both cheers and jeers from political and economic opinion makers.
—
Harry Kraemer,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
Over more than 1,000 conversations with a collection of donors, the AI model Claude was nearly three times as effective at eliciting donations for Save the Children as a group of professional fundraisers who had worked on campaigns for the humanitarian group.
—
Miriam Waldvogel,
Washington Post,
19 June 2026
Kudrow said, eliciting laughs from the audience.
—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
17 June 2026
Since Socrates, dialectical thinking had been a method of eliciting truth through questioning and refutation.
—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Inside the cage was a mouse—the mouse that Renova had significantly smoothed—eliciting a few gasps from nearby assistants.
—
William Norwich,
Vogue,
12 June 2026
Three members of Marshall’s family cracked a bottle of Champagne against the hull of the 746-foot USNS Thurgood Marshall, eliciting cheers at the very moment sunlight broke through the marine layer.
—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Research supports the idea that customized gifts are more effective at eliciting a positive response.
—
Attia Qureshi,
Time,
1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eliciting
Verb
-
But without Jill's knowledge, Wes (Nick Robinson) is reassigned her late sister's phone number and soon falls in love with Jill across the country through her messages, evoking a modern-day Sleepless in Seattle.
-
These are the kinds of hijinks fans came to expect, evoking all the feelings of a fun day at summer camp… with maybe a slightly higher volume of pranks.
Verb
-
That scare is credited with inspiring him to make positive lifestyle changes.
-
But Verlaine remained a guiding light in New York music, on his own eccentric terms, inspiring experimental rads like Sonic Youth.
Cite this Entry
“Eliciting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eliciting. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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