| Main Entry: | actuate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | start a function or action, motivate |
Synonyms: |
activate, animate, arouse, cause, drive, egg on, energize, excite, fire up, impel, incite, induce, influence, inspire, instigate, key up, mobilize, motivate, move, prompt, propel, put up to, quicken, rouse, spur, stimulate, turn on, work into lather, work up |
| Notes: | when something is activated, it is made active; when something is actuated, it is moved to take action (or produce a consequence) to actuate is a general word meaning 'to set working' and has more to do with mechanical action - while activate is used mainly in scientific expressions |
Antonyms: |
impede, stop |
| Main Entry: | goad |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | egg on, incite |
Synonyms: |
animate, annoy, arouse, bully, coerce, drive, encourage, excite, exhort, fire up, force, goose, harass, hound, impel, inspirit, instigate, irritate, key up, lash, move, needle, press, prick*, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, rowel, sic, sound, spark*, spur, stimulate, sting*, tease, thrust, trigger, turn on, urge, whip*, work up, worry |
Antonyms: |
discourage, dissuade |
| Main Entry: | incite |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | encourage, provoke |
Synonyms: |
abet, activate, actuate, agitate, animate, arouse, coax, craze, drive, egg on, encourage, excite, exhort, fan the fire, foment, force, forward, further, get to, goad, impel, induce, inflame, influence, inspire, inspirit, instigate, juice*, key up, motivate, persuade, prick, promote, prompt, provoke, psych, push, put up to, raise, rouse, set, set off, solicit, spur, stimulate, stir up, talk into, taunt, trigger, urge, whip up, work up |
Antonyms: |
delay, deter, discourage, prohibit |
| Main Entry: | kindle |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, incite |
Synonyms: |
agitate, animate, arouse, awaken, bestir, burn up, challenge, egg on, enkindle, exasperate, fire up, foment, get smoking, induce, inflame, inspire, key up, provoke, rally, rouse, sharpen, stimulate, stir, thrill, turn on, wake, waken, whet, work up |
Antonyms: |
disenchant, turn off |
| Main Entry: | push |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | incite, urge |
Synonyms: |
bear down, browbeat, bulldoze, coerce, constrain, dragoon, egg on, encourage, exert influence, expedite, fire up, go to town on, goad, goose, hurry, impel, influence, inspire, jolly, key up, kid, lean on, motivate, oblige, overpress, persuade, pour it on, press, pressure, prod, push around, put the screws to, put up to, railroad, sell on, speed, speed up, spur, squeeze, steamroll, strong-arm, turn on |
Antonyms: |
discourage, dissuade, repress, suppress |
| Main Entry: | rouse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stimulate, excite |
Synonyms: |
aggravate, agitate, anger, animate, arouse, ask for it, awaken, bestir, bug*, challenge, craze, deepen, disturb, enhance, enliven, exhilarate, fire up, foment, galvanize, get going, heighten, incite, inflame, innervate, innerve, instigate, intensate, intensify, key up, kindle, magnify, make waves, mount, move, needle, pep up, pique, provoke, quicken, rally, redouble, rile, rise, startle, steam up, stir, trigger, urge, vivify, wake, wake up, waken, whet, whip up, work up |
Antonyms: |
calm, disenchant, dull |
| Main Entry: | spur |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | incite, prompt |
Synonyms: |
animate, arouse, awaken, countenance, drive, egg on, exhort, favor, fire up, goad, goose, impel, instigate, key up, press, prick, prod, propel, push, put up to, rally, rouse, sic, spark, stimulate, stir, trigger, turn on, urge, work up |
Antonyms: |
disapprove, discourage, dissuade |
| Main Entry: | stimulate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, provoke |
Synonyms: |
activate, animate, arouse, build a fire under, commove, dynamize, elate, encourage, energize, enliven, exhilarate, fan, fire, fire up, foment, foster, galvanize, get one going, get one started, goad, grab, hook, impel, incite, inflame, innervate, innerve, inspire, instigate, jazz, juice*, key up, motivate, move, perk, pique, prod, prompt, quicken, rouse, send, set up, spark, spirit, spur, steam up, stir up, support, trigger, turn on, urge, vitalize, vivify, wake up, whet, work up |
Antonyms: |
calm, depress, discourage |
| Main Entry: | thrill |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | excite, stimulate |
Synonyms: |
animate, arouse, blow away, delight, electrify, enchant, enthuse, fire up, flush, flutter, galvanize, glow, go over big, grab*, inspire, juice*, key up, knock one's socks off, move, palpitate, quicken, quiver, race one's motor, rally, rouse, score, send, stir, stir up, tickle*, tingle*, titillate, tremble, turn on, wow* |
Antonyms: |
bring down, depress, discourage, dishearten |
| Main Entry: | upset |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, trouble |
Synonyms: |
adjy, afflict, agitate, ail, bewilder, bug*, confound, cramp, craze, debilitate, derange, discombobulate, discompose, disconcert, dismay, disquiet, distract, distress, disturb, egg on, fire up, flip out, flip*, floor*, flurry, fluster, get to, give a hard time, grieve, incapacitate, indispose, key up, lay up, make a scene, make waves, perturb, pick on, pother, psych, rattle, rock the boat, ruffle, sicken, spook, stir up, throw off balance, turn, turn on, unhinge, unnerve, unsettle |
Antonyms: |
delight, make happy, please |