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
Forty years ago, Donald Homa, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University specializing in memory and the visual perception of linguistic stimuli, was contacted by officials at the American Speed Reading Academy with an extraordinary tale.
—
Big Think, 16 Sep. 2025
Using a mouse model lacking the Cntnap2 gene, scientists recorded heightened activity in the RTN when animals faced stimuli such as light flashes or air puffs.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
Most studies on the human reward system have assumed global sensitivity, which means a person’s capacity to experience pleasure is a unified trait that applies generally to all types of rewarding stimuli.
—Jay Kakade
august 10, New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
Over time, the organoid learns to associate certain stimuli with outcomes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Aug. 2025
These tests require researchers to know which patterns of brain activity truly reflect consciousness, because some stimuli can elicit brain responses that occur without awareness.
—Mariana Lenharo & Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
This barrage of sensory stimuli asks more of our cognition than it is equipped to handle.
—Richard E. Cytowic, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Light stimuli might still feel irritating.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2024
Some runaways may be responding to too much stimuli, Cook adds.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
Big Think, 16 Sep. 2025
Using a mouse model lacking the Cntnap2 gene, scientists recorded heightened activity in the RTN when animals faced stimuli such as light flashes or air puffs.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
Most studies on the human reward system have assumed global sensitivity, which means a person’s capacity to experience pleasure is a unified trait that applies generally to all types of rewarding stimuli.
—Jay Kakade
august 10, New Atlas, 10 Aug. 2025
Over time, the organoid learns to associate certain stimuli with outcomes.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Aug. 2025
These tests require researchers to know which patterns of brain activity truly reflect consciousness, because some stimuli can elicit brain responses that occur without awareness.
—Mariana Lenharo & Nature Magazine, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
This barrage of sensory stimuli asks more of our cognition than it is equipped to handle.
—Richard E. Cytowic, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
Light stimuli might still feel irritating.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 16 Dec. 2024
Some runaways may be responding to too much stimuli, Cook adds.
—Amanda Musa, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stimuli
Noun
-
Green technologies may qualify for financial incentives.—
Michaila Byrne,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
In the past few decades market mechanisms and financial incentives to address deforestation have been implemented, notably in regions with high rates of deforestation through jurisdictional REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programs.—
Robert G. Eccles,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share