admiration

noun

ad·​mi·​ra·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce admiration (audio)
1
: a feeling of respect and approval
They had/felt great admiration for her courage.
2
: an object of esteem
… his perfect horsemanship … was one of my earliest admirations.Joseph Conrad
3
archaic : wonder

Examples of admiration in a Sentence

She looked at them in admiration. I have great admiration for her courage. We were filled with admiration for him. She earned the admiration of her coworkers. I have a great admiration for her courage.
Recent Examples on the Web Some of this obviously has to do with long-standing admiration for Murphy, the kind of actor who seldom calls attention to himself, and whose quiet moral implosion in the final act is all the more devastating for it. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2024 The admiration goes both ways for the actor and his wife, who married in 2019. Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 At the end of the day, the celebrities Fineman does impressions of are chosen carefully and always done in admiration. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 24 Feb. 2024 Many Ukrainian soldiers wear the American flag into battle out of respect and admiration. David Axe, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 Take a journey through the world of ultimate automotive luxury, delving into the most expensive cars that captivate global attention and admiration. Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 15 Feb. 2024 This did not surprise anyone who watched Trump as president repeatedly kowtow to Russian President Vladimir Putin and express admiration for other strongmen like North Korea’s Kim Jong Il. Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 New showrunner Albert Kim soon took over, and Kim has spoken reverently about his admiration for the original series. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024 Son of a Tennessee coal miner, Stonecipher expressed admiration of President Harry Truman for his decision to use nuclear weapons versus Japan. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'admiration.' 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

Middle English admiracion, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French amiracion, going back to Old French ammiration, borrowed from Latin admīrātiōn-, admīrātiō, from admīrārī "to admire" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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

Dictionary Entries Near admiration

Cite this Entry

“Admiration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/admiration. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

admiration

noun
ad·​mi·​ra·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈrā-shən How to pronounce admiration (audio)
1
: an object of admiring regard
2
: a feeling of great and delighted approval

More from Merriam-Webster on admiration

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