1 admire | Definition of admire

admire

verb
ad·​mire | \ əd-ˈmī(-ə)r How to pronounce admire (audio) \
admired; admiring

Definition of admire

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

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Other Words from admire

admirer noun

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

As well as bringing us a fresh group of islanders and a new villa to admire, the January series is likely to throw up many of the same linguistic debates as previous series. Rebecca Woods, Quartz, "The linguistic case for using the word “like” all the time," 28 Aug. 2019 Either way, Turgenev, in another life, might have found much to admire here. Christopher Tayler, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 19 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'admire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of admire

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

History and Etymology for admire

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.

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More Definitions for admire

admire

verb
ad·​mire | \ əd-ˈmīr How to pronounce admire (audio) \
admired; admiring

Kids Definition of admire

: to think very highly of : feel admiration for

Other Words from admire

admirer noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on admire

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with admire

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for admire

Spanish Central: Translation of admire

Nglish: Translation of admire for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of admire for Arabic Speakers

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