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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of stimuli
Our amygdala is overactive, our nervous systems are fried and our dopamine cycles are hijacked by short-term stimuli.
—
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
These hybrid materials can reversibly change shape when exposed to different stimuli, thanks to the predictable nature of DNA pairing and the stability provided by inorganic components such as gold or graphene oxide.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Surveying 453 dog owners, scientists found that canines’ responses were strongly influenced by the type of stimuli—such as animals or objects—and their watching behavior, whether following the action or remaining still.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The receptors in your hands respond to myriad stimuli-like pressures—vibrations in sync with 15 different families of neurons.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s so much stimuli that I get really pumped doing it.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
But the less obvious stimuli for weeping can also be seen as the diametrical opposites of the things that make a joke funny.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
May Help Reduce Inflammation Inflammation is the body’s natural response to harmful stimuli and pathogens, such as fungi, bacteria, or viruses.
—Johna Burdeos, Health, 22 Sep. 2025
This barrage of sensory stimuli asks more of our cognition than it is equipped to handle.
—Richard E. Cytowic, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
These hybrid materials can reversibly change shape when exposed to different stimuli, thanks to the predictable nature of DNA pairing and the stability provided by inorganic components such as gold or graphene oxide.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Surveying 453 dog owners, scientists found that canines’ responses were strongly influenced by the type of stimuli—such as animals or objects—and their watching behavior, whether following the action or remaining still.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The receptors in your hands respond to myriad stimuli-like pressures—vibrations in sync with 15 different families of neurons.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
There’s so much stimuli that I get really pumped doing it.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
But the less obvious stimuli for weeping can also be seen as the diametrical opposites of the things that make a joke funny.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
May Help Reduce Inflammation Inflammation is the body’s natural response to harmful stimuli and pathogens, such as fungi, bacteria, or viruses.
—Johna Burdeos, Health, 22 Sep. 2025
This barrage of sensory stimuli asks more of our cognition than it is equipped to handle.
—Richard E. Cytowic, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stimuli
Noun
-
This has raised questions about whether the huge tax incentives and infrastructure investments these sites demand from state and municipal governments (such as power stations, transmission lines, water supply upgrades, and roads) will pay off for local communities.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The report also describes incentives for landlords to make energy efficiency upgrades, citing a model in Atlanta targeted at landlords who accept rental assistance vouchers.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Hints, counsels, warnings, remonstrations, even encouragements are, in the end, of limited value.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Ward and Curlee also started the app Counterbalance, which provides daily encouragements, recipes, community and more.—
Emy LaCroix,
People.com,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stimuli.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stimuli. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share