1. a state of physiological alertness and readiness for action. 2. a pervasive state of cortical responsiveness believed to be associated with sensory stimulation and therefore, the activation of fibers from the reticular activating system. See also physiological arousal- sexual arousal. 3. a state of excitement or energy expenditure linked to a strong emotion. Usually, arousal is closely related to a person
AROUSAL: “A person experienced arousal, including rapid heart beat when he or she took an academic test that would determine whether or not he or she got the job.”