Standard Lemma guide

stimulation

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈstɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /stɪm.jʉːˈlæɪ.ʃən/
  • CMU ARPABET: S T IH2 M Y AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A pushing or goading toward action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any action or condition that creates a response; sensory input.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An activity causing excitement or pleasure; the act of stimulating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

mutual sexual fondling prior to sexual intercourse

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: foreplay, arousal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sexual activity, sexual practice, sex, sex activity

Narrower terms: caressing, cuddling, fondling, hugging, kissing, necking, petting, smooching, snuggling, feel

5

noun

Meaning 5

the act of arousing an organism to action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arousal, rousing

Narrower terms: galvanization, galvanisation

6

noun

Meaning 6

any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stimulus, stimulant, input

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: information

Narrower terms: evocation, induction, elicitation, kick, turn-on, turnoff, negative stimulation, conditioned stimulus, reinforcing stimulus, reinforcer, reinforcement, discriminative stimulus, cue, positive stimulus, negative stimulus

7

noun

Meaning 7

(physiology) the effect of a stimulus (on nerves or organs etc.)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: natural process, natural action, action, activity

Narrower terms: activation, galvanization, galvanisation

History

Etymology

From Latin stimulātiō. Morphologically stimulate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: стимулиране (stimulirane) — pushing or goading toward action
  • Catalan: estimulació — pushing or goading toward action
  • Chinese Mandarin: 刺激 (cìjī) — pushing or goading toward action
  • Dutch: stimulatie — pushing or goading toward action
  • Esperanto: stimulado — pushing or goading toward action
  • French: stimulation — pushing or goading toward action
  • Galician: estimulación — pushing or goading toward action
  • German: Stimulation — pushing or goading toward action
  • German: Anregung — pushing or goading toward action
  • Irish: spreagthacht — pushing or goading toward action
  • Japanese: 刺激 (shigeki) — pushing or goading toward action
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stimulering — pushing or goading toward action
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stimulering — pushing or goading toward action
  • Occitan: estimulacion — pushing or goading toward action
  • Portuguese: estimulação — pushing or goading toward action
  • Romanian: stimulare — pushing or goading toward action
  • Russian: стимуля́ция (stimuljácija) — pushing or goading toward action
  • Russian: стимули́рование (stimulírovanije) — pushing or goading toward action
  • Spanish: estimulación — pushing or goading toward action
  • Catalan: estimulació — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Dutch: stimulatie — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Esperanto: stimulado — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Galician: estimulación — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stimulering — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: stimulering — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Portuguese: estimulação — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Russian: стимуля́ция (stimuljácija) — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Russian: стимули́рование (stimulírovanije) — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Spanish: estimulación — activity causing excitement or pleasure
  • Catalan: estimulació — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Dutch: stimulatie — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Esperanto: stimulado — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • French: stimulation — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Galician: estimulación — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Italian: stimolazione — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Portuguese: estímulo — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Russian: стимуля́ция (stimuljácija) — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Russian: стимули́рование (stimulírovanije) — biology: action or condition that creates a response
  • Spanish: estimulación — biology: action or condition that creates a response
Real reading context

stimulation in complete knowledge articles