admire

verb

ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(-ə)r How to pronounce admire (audio)
admired; admiring
Synonyms of admirenext

transitive verb

1
: to feel respect and approval for (someone or something) : to regard with admiration
They all admired her courage.
2
archaic : to marvel at

intransitive verb

dialect : to like very much
… I would admire to know why not …—A. H. Lewis
admirer noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for admire

regard, respect, esteem, admire mean to recognize the worth of a person or thing.

regard is a general term that is usually qualified.

he is highly regarded in the profession

respect implies a considered evaluation or estimation.

after many years they came to respect her views

esteem implies greater warmth of feeling accompanying a high valuation.

no citizen of the town was more highly esteemed

admire suggests usually enthusiastic appreciation and often deep affection.

a friend that I truly admire

Examples of admire in a Sentence

We gazed out the window and admired the scenery. I admire the way you handled such a touchy situation.
Recent Examples on the Web Over several years, Johnson has been admired, appreciated and praised in China with commentators citing his personality, charisma and physique as key factors. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 Oct. 2024 The most visited country in the world has a lot to admire and is often thought to live la dolce vita in terms of food, the climate, and the scenery, le paysage. —Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024 The younger Lubezki admired Cuarón, who represented a source of culture. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024 Pundits admired the speech for walking the tightrope of a fraught moment—coming up the middle—with confidence and control. —Nathan Heller, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for admire 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'admire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French admirer, Latinization of amirer "to make (little or much) of," borrowed from Latin admīrārī, ammīrārī "to regard with wonder, show esteem for," from ad- ad- + mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at," derivative of mīrus, "remarkable, amazing," of uncertain origin

Note: Regarding etymology of Latin mīrus see note at smile entry 1.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of admire was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near admire

admirative

admire

admiring

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Admire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admire. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

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Kids Definition

admire

verb
ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(ə)r How to pronounce admire (audio)
admired; admiring
1
: to look at with admiration
admire the scenery
2
: to have high regard for
admired her courage
admirer
-ˈmīr-ər
noun
Etymology

from early French admirer "to marvel at," from Latin admirari (same meaning), from ad- "at" and mirari "to wonder" — related to miracle

More from Merriam-Webster on admire

Nglish: Translation of admire for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of admire for Arabic Speakers

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