to kindle

Examples

• All

• When Ellington was invited to play at the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Ontario, his imagination was kindled.

  Academic text (1999)

• Her essay tells how the death of her aunt from cystic fibrosis kindled her personal interest in gene research.

  Academic text (1990)

• If only I can kindle that spark... my coming here will have meaning.

  The Time Machine (1960)

• Listening to recorded examples may help kindle this exploration by providing examples of common patterns used.

  Academic text (2006)

• I hope when you read this, it kindles your heart and puts a smile on your face.

  A Little Princess (1995)

• The class description kindled an interest in me.

  Academic text (2010)

• The loss of many coastal bridges has kindled considerable interest in investigating the failure mechanisms of these vital coastal infrastructures.

  Academic text (2018)

• Her inspiring speech kindled a passion for environmental activism in the audience.

• The teacher sought to kindle an interest in science by conducting exciting experiments.

• The movie's heartfelt storyline kindled emotions of nostalgia and joy in its viewers.

Synonyms

R

to raise

vsto kindle

∞ 3.2

To bring up a subject or cause people to notice it

is about inspiring or creating emotional interest rather than merely mentioning

I

to intrigue

vsto kindle

143 5.1

To make someone curious or interested

is wider, covering general feelings and not only curiosity

H

to heat

vsto kindle

138 5.9

To cause strong feelings or excitement

is usually more personal and less about stirring group passions

P

to provoke

vsto kindle

115 3.7

Cause a reaction or feeling

tends to be gentler, aiming to awaken or inspire rather than cause a sharp reaction

E

to evoke

vsto kindle

71 4.8

To bring a memory, image, or feeling to mind

is more about creating new interest or emotion rather than recalling one

F

to fire up

vsto kindle

• Informal

70 4.1

Make people feel excited and ready to act

is gentler, used to inspire interest rather than strongly energize people

F

to fire

vsto kindle

62 4.8

To cause strong feeling or excitement in someone

tends to be milder and more about waking feeling than causing a strong reaction

A

to arouse

vsto kindle

57 4.1

Cause a feeling or strong reaction in people

focuses more on inspiring interest or warmth rather than just causing feeling

I

to ignite

vsto kindle

47 4.4

To cause strong feelings in someone

is milder, often implying gentle inspiration rather than intense excitement

E

to elicit

vsto kindle

• Formal

40 5.3

To get an answer or other reaction from someone by asking

works more by inspiring feelings rather than by questioning or prompting

I

to ignite passion

vsto kindle

1 5.0

Make someone feel very excited and interested in something

is less intense, used for starting or increasing interest rather than deep passion

E

to enkindle

vsto kindle

• Archaic

1 9.2

To make someone feel a strong emotion

is the common modern form used more often in speech

A

to arouse interest

vsto kindle

3.8

To make someone feel curious about something and want to know more

aims more broadly to inspire emotion or interest beyond curiosity alone

Antonyms

D

to discourage

257 3.5

To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it

D

to dampen

16 4.4

Make something less strong or noticeable, for example sound and feeling

Compounds

K

kindle-coal

• Archaic

9.9

A type of coal used to start a fire

How Strong

to inflame

31 5.8

to stir

131 3.7

to kindle

5 6.5

to arouse

57 4.1

to awaken

35 3.7

Surface Forms

Etymology