- stir
- stir vb Stir, rouse, arouse, awaken, waken, rally can all mean to cause to shift from quiescence or torpor into activity.Stir, often followed by up, usually presupposes excitement to activity by something which disturbs or agitates and so brings to the surface or into outward expression what is latent or dormant{
a dreamy, faraway look came into Mr. Bohlen's eyes, and he smiled. Then he stirred himself and began leafing through the plans— Dahl
}{if the . . . teacher longs to stir the sluggish mind of one of her scholars, she must first find out what the sluggishness is due to— Eliot
}{she wants stirring up. She's got into a rut— Bennett
}Sometimes the word suggests the evoking of rebellion or revolt{movements that begin by stirring up hostility against a group of people— Dewey
}More often it implies the evocation of profound, agitating, but usually agreeable, emotion{peace has no drums and trumpets to stir the pulse— Loveman
}{men lacking an arm or leg stirred universal pity— Wecter
}Rouse, arouse, awaken, waken all presuppose a state of rest or repose, Often that of sleep.Rouse derives its implications from its application to the starting of game from coverts or lairs by the cries of hunters or by beating of bushes and often suggests incitement to activity by startling, frightening, or upsetting. In addition it commonly implies intense or vigorous activity and often ensuing commotion or turbulence{every tent roused by that clamor dread— Shelley
}{roused out of sleep by a heavy pounding on the door— Wechsberg
}{Antony . . . had spoken words which roused the mob to fury— Buchan
}Arouse, though frequently used interchangeably with rouse, tends to be weaker in its implications and often means little more than to start into activity and conveys no hint of what follows; thus, a noise in the night arouses a sleeping soldier if he merely wakes up into consciousness of it, but it rouses him when he also makes determined efforts to trace its source or hastily arms himself; a fear may be aroused and immediately dispelled; passions are roused when they are so stirred up that they exert a compelling influence{now I had to guard against arousing the emotions of others— Mailer
}{the new force stirred and aroused the people— Anderson
}Awaken and waken, like arouse, frequently imply an ending of sleep; in extended use they are employed chiefly in reference to mental or spiritual powers or faculties which need only the proper stimulation to be called forth into activity or to be elicited{waken love
}{the conscience of the nation was awakened
}{her eyes brightened, her features appeared gradually to awaken, and life flowed back into her fact— Farrell
}{had wakened and heard the lion— Hemingway
}{waken to the point about seven minutes after— Laski
}{that tree always awakened pleasant memories, recalling a garden in the south of France— Cather
}Rally (see also RIDICULE) presupposes a diffusion of forces or a lack of concentration that promotes lethargy or inaction; it therefore implies a gathering together that stirs up or rouses{he rallied his strength for a final blow— Prescott
}{as if his memory were impaired . . . [he] made an effort to rally his attention— Dickens
}{they stirred and rallied a divided, defeated people— Shirer
}Analogous words: excite, *provoke, stimulate, quicken, galvanize: *incite, foment, instigate: activate, energize, *vitalize: *move, drive, impel, actuateAnalogous words: acting or activity, working or work, behaving or behavior, reaction (see corresponding verbs at ACT): change, alteration, variation, modification (see under CHANGE vb)2 Stir, bustle, flurry, pother, fuss, ado all denote the signs of excitement or hurry that accompany an act, action, or an event.Stir suggests brisk or restless movement and ordinarily implies a crowd{he liked to hear the paper talked about. He liked to have a stir and rumpus going on— White
}{as some messenger arrived ... a stir would pass through the throng so full of swagger and of youth— Osbert Sit well
}Bustle adds the implication of a noisy, obtrusive, or self-important display of energy, especially when used in reference to an individual{she needs the bustle of life in a good hotel— Bennett
}{'tis true that strength and bustle build up a firm. But judgment and knowledge are what keep it established— Hardy
}{the meaningless and vulgar bustle of newspaper offices— Gibbons
}Flurry stresses nervous agitation and undue haste{so now began a great flurry .... There is no part of the world where there doesn't have to be excitement over a wedding— Upton Sinclair
}{the resilience and strength of purpose that persist like deeply banked fires beneath a surface that is frequently all flurry and crepitation— Times Lit. Sup.
}Pother and fuss both imply flurry and fidgety activity; pother often distinctively stresses commotion or confusion and fuss needless worry or effort{he is always in a pother about something or other
}{she had invited her parents to come on the fiesta weekend, calculating that the excitement and fuss would distract their attention from herself— Wouk
}{it had made a dreadful pother and was still remembered uneasily— Mencken
}{even this pother about gods reminds one that something is worthwhile— Pound
}Ado usually suggests fussiness or waste of energy{go to work without any more ado
}It also often implies trouble or difficulty{there was much ado before their affairs were straightened out
}Analogous words: agitation, disturbance, disquieting or disquiet (see corresponding verbs at DISCOMPOSE): excitement, stimulation (see corresponding verbs at PROVOKE): *din, uproar, hubbub, pandemoniumAntonyms: tranquillity
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
