Rabblerousing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of inciting an audience to express fervent opinions or to engage in collective action, often relying on emotive discourse or persuasive language
2. The process of stirring up strong emotions in a crowd to motivate them towards active participation or vocal dissent often using passionate rhetoric
3. Engaging groups of individuals emotionally to provoke them into action or outspoken expressions typically through fervent communication

Etymology: "Rabble" first meant a noisy, disorderly crowd, and it likely comes from a Middle Dutch verb, "rabbelen," meaning to chatter or babble. The sound of a crowd's talk gave the crowd its name. "Rouse" comes from an older English verb meaning to stir or wake someone up, so the compound describes someone who wakes a crowd and gets it moving. The word is a plain compound with no hidden twist. Its two parts keep their original senses, and the combined sense of stirring a mob to action has stayed close to the literal one. The noun form, "rabble-rouser," follows the same pattern, with the verb form formed from it.

Synonyms: inciting, agitating

Antonyms: calming, soothing