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goad

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A pointed stick for driving cattle or other animals; as a verb, to prod, provoke, or urge into action, often persistently or annoyingly.

Detailed Definition
As noun, “goad” implies control through pain; as verb, it means to incite. In poetry, it describes divine or emotional prodding—conscience as goad. The term’s sharpness suits metaphors of inspiration or torment. Poets use it to explore how external pressure drives action, linking physical stimulus to moral or creative awakening in allegorical and dramatic verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The goad of conscience pricked him ever onward,” in a moral allegory; In Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene,” virtue is spurred by “the goad of heavenly grace”; “Love’s goad drives the heart to folly,” laments a Petrarchan sonneteer; Milton compares divine will to “a sharp goad” guiding errant souls; “He needs no goad who seeks truth willingly,” advises a stoic lyric; The tyrant ruled with whip and goad, yet feared the people’s silence.
Additional Notes
“Goad” functions both as a literal tool for herding and a metaphor for provocation; in allegorical or political poetry, being “goaded to action” suggests reluctant but necessary response to injustice, linking physical and psychological urgency.
Also Known As
spur prod incite prick
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