1. (n.) The act of exciting, or the state of being roused into action, or of having increased action; impulsion; agitation; as, an excitement of the people.
2. (n.) That which excites or rouses; that which moves, stirs, or induces action; a motive.
3. (n.) A state of aroused or increased vital activity in an organism, or any of its organs or tissues.
Thesaurus Entries
action, activity, ado, aggravation, agitation, anger, animation, anxiety, ardency, ardor, arousal, arousing, bluster, bobbery, boil, boiling, breathless impatience, brouhaha, bustle, chafing, churn, commotion, conturbation, discomfort, discomposure, disorder, disquiet, disquietude, disturbance, eagerness, ebullience, ebullition, ecstasy, electrification, embroilment, enthusiasm, exacerbation, exasperation, excitation, exhilaration, ferment, fermentation, fervency, fervidity, fervidness, fervor, fever, feverishness, fidgets, fire, fireworks, firing, flap, flurry, fluster, flutteration, foment, fomentation, fretfulness, fretting, fume, furor, fury, fuss, galvanization, gusto, haste, heart, heartiness, heat, hubbub, hurly-burly, impassionedness, impatience, impatientness, impetuousness, incitation, incitement, inflammation, infuriation, inquietude, instigation, irritation, jitters, jumpiness, lather, lathering up, liveliness, love, maelstrom, malaise, moil, nerviness, nervosity, nervousness, passion, passionateness, pep rally, pep talk, perturbation, provocation, rabble-rousing, relish, restiveness, restlessness, roil, rout, row, savor, seethe, seething, sexual desire, soul, spirit, steaming up, stew, stimulation, stimulus, stir, stirring, stirring up, stirring-up, sweat, swirl, tense readiness, tension, to-do, trepidation, trepidity, tumult, tumultuation, turbidity, turbulence, turmoil, twitter, unease, uneasiness, unpatientness, unquietness, unrest, upset, vehemence, verve, warmth, warmth of feeling, whipping up, working up, zeal
