admire

verb

ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(-ə)r 

admired; admiring

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 of admire

• respect
• appreciate
• regard

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

Experts advise the public to admire them from a distance and not touch them, like with any wildlife. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Trustees who exercise real judgment, beneficiaries who understand the purpose of the capital, and advisors who keep revisiting the structure instead of admiring it from a distance. — Michael Gold Cfp, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Beyond her music, these fans admired her philanthropy, from the Imagination Library program that distributes books to children around the world to her US$1 million donation that helped fund COVID-19 vaccine research. — Sarah Dees, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Curry admired the Guinness drawing rooms with their endless pockets of seating and tables spilling over with flowers from the gardens. — Irene Borger, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for admire

• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire
• rehire

Kids Definition

admire

verb

ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(ə)r 

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