| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | commotion, excitement |
| Synonyms: | activity, ado, agitation, backwash, bustle, din, disorder, disquiet, disturbance, ferment, flap, flurry, furor, fuss, movement, pandemonium, pother, racket, row, scene, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, whirl, whirlwind |
| Antonyms: | calm, calmness, moderation, peace |
| Main Entry: | stir |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | incite, stimulate |
| Synonyms: | abet, actuate, add fuel to fire, adjy, affect, agitate, animate, arouse, awaken, bestir, challenge, craze, drive, electrify, energize, excite, feed the fire, foment, galvanize, impel, inflame, inspire, kindle, make waves, motivate, move, prompt, provoke, psych, quicken, raise, rally, rile, rouse, roust, rout, set, spark, spook, spur, stir embers, stir up, switch on, thrill, touch, trigger, urge, vitalize, wake, waken, whet, whip up, work up |
| Antonyms: | calm, discourage |
| Main Entry: | stir |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | get up and going |
| Synonyms: | awake, awaken, be up and about, bestir, budge, exert, get a move on, get moving, hasten, look alive, make an effort, mill about, move, rouse, shake a leg, wake, waken |
| Antonyms: | laze, rest, wait |
| Main Entry: | action |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | something done |
| Synonyms: | activity, agility, alacrity, alertness, animation, bag*, ballgame, big idea, bit*, business, bustle, commotion, dash, deal, energy, enterprise, flurry, force, functioning, game, going, happening, haste, hoopla*, hopper, in the works, industry, life, liveliness, motion, movement, occupation, operation, plan, power, process, proposition, racket, reaction, response, rush, scene, spirit, stir, stunt, trip, turmoil, vigor, vim, vitality, vivacity |
| Antonyms: | cessation, idleness, inaction, inactivity, inertia, repose, rest, stoppage |
| Main Entry: | activate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | initiate something; start a function |
| Synonyms: | actify, actuate, arouse, call up, energize, impel, mobilize, motivate, move, prompt, propel, rouse, set in motion, start, stimulate, stir, switch on, take out of mothballs, trigger, turn on |
| 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: | arrest, stop |
| Main Entry: | affect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | influence, affect emotionally |
| Synonyms: | act on, alter, change, disturb, impinge, impress, induce, influence, inspire, interest, involve, modify, move, overcome, perturb, prevail, regard, relate, stir, sway, touch, transform, upset |
| Notes: | as a noun, affect means 'a feeling or emotion,' whereas effect means 'the result or consequence of some action or process'; as a verb, to affect means 'to exert an influence upon,' and implies the action of a stimulus that can produce a response or reaction, whereas to effect means 'to bring about as a result' effect is a noun referring to a thing, but if you mean an action, that is affect; if you want the verb meaning 'achieve, bring about,' that is effect |
| Main Entry: | agitate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | shake physically |
| Synonyms: | beat, churn, concuss, convulse, disturb, rock, rouse, stir, toss |
| Antonyms: | calm, lull, quiet, soothe, tranquilize |
| Main Entry: | agitate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disturb, trouble someone |
| Synonyms: | alarm, argue, arouse, bug up, bug*, burn up, confuse, craze*, debate, discompose, disconcert, discuss, dispute, disquiet, distract, disturb, egg on, examine, excite, ferment, flurry, fluster, get to, incite, inflame, make flip, move, perturb, psych, push buttons, rouse, ruffle, spook, stimulate, stir, trouble, turn on, unhinge, upset, ventilate, work up, worry |
| Antonyms: | calm, not bother, quiet, soothe |
| Main Entry: | animate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bring to life |
| Synonyms: | activate, arouse, cheer, embolden, encourage, energize, enliven, exalt, excite, fire, gladden, hearten, impel, incite, inform, inspire, inspirit, instigate, invigorate, kindle, liven, make alive, move, quicken, revive, revivify, rouse, spark, spur, stimulate, stir, urge, vitalize, vivify |
| Antonyms: | deaden, discourage, kill |