1
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
the rousing campaign speech inspired everyone to get out the vote
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to elicit
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
what inspired that comment?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
great works of visual art can inspire us in ways that the written word often cannot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inspire
King said he was inspired in part by Rader’s arrest, more specifically, by his ability to keep his murderous tendencies completely unknown to the rest of his family.
—
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Its Mii amo spa offers treatments inspired by its surroundings and the canyon's vortex energy.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Buford wanted to understand the psychology of what lures people – usually men – to feed into the violence inspired by a sporting event.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
The Lady from Shanghai In conceiving of and constructing both Ingrid Luna and Aurora, Condon was strongly inspired by Rita Hayworth, an iconic star of musicals and film noir.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Its Mii amo spa offers treatments inspired by its surroundings and the canyon's vortex energy.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Buford wanted to understand the psychology of what lures people – usually men – to feed into the violence inspired by a sporting event.
—Ed Lavandera, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
The Lady from Shanghai In conceiving of and constructing both Ingrid Luna and Aurora, Condon was strongly inspired by Rita Hayworth, an iconic star of musicals and film noir.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspire
Verb
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Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact detectives at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
10 Oct. 2025
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Eating seasonally encourages a more varied diet that can support overall health and help the body adapt to seasonal changes.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The million-dollar reward elicited hundreds of tips.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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This question elicited markedly different responses among partisans.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Tedesco learned about Reparation Generation last year through a church group and further got involved by hosting home meetings this year to educate others about the organization's work.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Condon wanted to evoke a similar surprise by having Lopez's Ingrid Luna/Aurora go the same striking shade of blonde.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Oct. 2025
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These civic footings carry the architecture of socialist monumentality and New York sidewalks, evoking both town square and cemetery, utopia and capital.—
Jerry Saltz,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspire. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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