as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
seeing a Broadway play for the first time was the stimulus for her career in the theater
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Recent Examples of stimuli
Perhaps sensing this, the league trotted out a series of onstage stimuli between picks.
—
Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Eliciting disgust, even through unrelated stimuli, can intensify moral judgment.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
This involves some combination of being awake and aware, having internal awareness (such as mental imagery and inner thoughts), and being connected to the world with an ability to perceive stimuli.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
Multiple performers will create sonic and visual stimuli during the evening.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
Migraine Triggers Increase Brain Sensitivity Research indicates that people prone to migraines have a nervous system that reacts more strongly to triggers such as stress, hormones, or sensory stimuli.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2026
The decision model positions the black box in a broader scenario that shows the interaction of external and internal stimuli as well as consumer responses.
—Félix Ortega Mohedanoall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
The project aims to produce materials that change their mechanical properties and shape in response to external light stimuli.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
Although attempts were made to wake her up through verbal and sternal stimuli, her difficulty breathing went unrecognized for 15 minutes.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Eliciting disgust, even through unrelated stimuli, can intensify moral judgment.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
This involves some combination of being awake and aware, having internal awareness (such as mental imagery and inner thoughts), and being connected to the world with an ability to perceive stimuli.
—Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 15 May 2026
Multiple performers will create sonic and visual stimuli during the evening.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026
Migraine Triggers Increase Brain Sensitivity Research indicates that people prone to migraines have a nervous system that reacts more strongly to triggers such as stress, hormones, or sensory stimuli.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 30 Apr. 2026
The decision model positions the black box in a broader scenario that shows the interaction of external and internal stimuli as well as consumer responses.
—Félix Ortega Mohedanoall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Apr. 2026
The project aims to produce materials that change their mechanical properties and shape in response to external light stimuli.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
Although attempts were made to wake her up through verbal and sternal stimuli, her difficulty breathing went unrecognized for 15 minutes.
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stimuli
Noun
-
House members who occupy safe seats have fewer incentives to compromise or work across the aisle.—
Ashley Wu,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
This enables local semiconductor manufacturers to access state and federal tax incentives.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stimuli.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stimuli. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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