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

There surely is something to admire in Anthropic’s decision to hold the line against the Defense Department. —Olivier Sylvain, Fortune, 16 May 2026

Garden diplomacy At their last meeting on Friday the two leaders toured the gardens at Zhongnanhai, with Trump admiring the roses. —Jennifer Pak, NPR, 15 May 2026

The adjacent seating area with club chairs is the ideal spot for admiring waterside views and watching the palm trees sway. —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 15 May 2026

People Acting Like Others When the TV series Star Trek initially gained popularity, a segment of the populace admired the tenor and nature of the Spock character. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 May 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