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| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stimulate, instigate |
| Synonyms: | actuate, arouse, bring, cause, dispose, draw, drive, egg on, excite, fire, galvanize, give incentive, goad, goose, impel, incite, incline, induce, innervate, innerve, inspire, inspirit, lead, move, persuade, pique, predetermine, predispose, prevail upon, prompt, propel, provoke, quicken, rouse, set afoot, set astir, sound, spark, spur, suggest, sway, touch off, trigger, whet |
| Antonyms: | depress, disconcert, discourage, dissuade |
| 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: | begin |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | start |
| Synonyms: | activate, actualize, break ground, break the ice, bring about, bring to pass, cause, commence, create, do, drive, effect, embark on, enter on, enter upon, establish, eventuate, found, generate, get going, give birth to, give impulse, go ahead, go into, impel, inaugurate, induce, initiate, instigate, institute, introduce, launch, lay foundation for, lead, make, make active, motivate, mount, occasion, open, originate, plunge into, prepare, produce, set about, set in motion, set up, trigger, undertake |
| Antonyms: | complete, conclude, consummate, end, finish |
| Main Entry: | cause |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bring into being; bring about |
| Synonyms: | be at the bottom of, begin, brainstorm*, break in, break the ice, breed, bring to pass, come out with, compel, cook up, create, dream up, effect, elicit, engender, evoke, fire up, generate, get things rolling, give rise to, hatch, incite, induce, introduce, kickoff, kindle, lead to, let, make, make up, motivate, muster, occasion, open, originate, precipitate, produce, provoke, result in, revert, secure, sow the seeds, start the ball rolling, think up, work up |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | dispose |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | place, order; deal with |
| Synonyms: | actuate, adapt, adjust, arrange, array, bend, bias, call the tune, condition, determine, distribute, fix, govern, group, incline, induce, influence, lay down the law, lead, locate, make willing, marshal, methodize, motivate, move, organize, predispose, prepare, promote, prompt, put, put one's foot down, put to rights, range, rank, read the riot act, regulate, ride herd on, set, set in order, settle, shepherd, stand, sway, systematize, tailor, tempt |
| Notes: | predispose differs from dispose by implying that the frame of mind is created some time before it becomes obvious |
| Antonyms: | disarrange, disorder, displace, disturb, mismanage |
| Main Entry: | drive |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | move or urge on |
| Synonyms: | act upon, actuate, animate, arouse, bulldoze, chase, coerce, compel, constrain, dog*, egg on, encourage, force, goad, goose, harass, hasten, herd, hound, hurl, hurry, hustle, impel, induce, inspire, instigate, kick, lean on, make, motivate, nag, oblige, overburden, overwork, pound, press, pressure, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, railroad, ride herd on, rouse, rush, send, shepherd, shove, spirit up, spur, steamroll, stimulate, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | check, curb, discourage, dissuade, halt, repress, retard, stop |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | energize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | activate; give more life |
| Synonyms: | actify, activize, animate, arm, build up, electrify, empower, enable, enliven, excite, fortify, goose, innervate, inspirit, invigorate, jazz up, juice up, liven up, motivate, pep up, prime, pump up, put zip into, quicken, reinforce, start up, stimulate, strengthen, sustain, switch on, trigger, turn on, vitalize, work up, zap |
| Notes: | energize means to cause to be alert or to invigorate while enervate means to weaken mentally or morally |
| Antonyms: | deactivate, debilitate, sap, tire, weaken, weary |
| Main Entry: | galvanize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | inspire, stimulate |
| Synonyms: | animate, arouse, astonish, awaken, commove, electrify, energize, excite, fire*, frighten, innervate, invigorate, jolt, motivate, move, pique, prime, provoke, quicken, shock, spur, startle, stir, stun, thrill, vitalize, wake, zap |
| Antonyms: | depress, deter, discourage, disparage, dissuade, retard |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | impel |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | prompt, incite |
| Synonyms: | actuate, boost, compel, constrain, drive, excite, foment, force, goad, induce, influence, inspire, instigate, jog, lash, mobilize, motivate, move, oblige, poke, power, press, prod, propel, push, require, set in motion, shove, spur, start, stimulate, thrust, urge |
| Notes: | impel means to urge or encourage while compel means to take action as a result of pressure or coercion; impel is very similar in meaning to compel but suggests even more strongly an inner drive to do something and often a greater urgency in the desire to act |
| Antonyms: | delay, dissuade, repress, slow, suppress |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
