admiration

noun

ad·​mi·​ra·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈrā-shən 

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

Synonyms of admiration

• respect
• appreciation
• regard
• praise
• adoration

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

My feelings about Dudamel as an interpreter have ranged from irritation at his turn-it-up-to-11 showiness to admiration for his ability to make listeners hear music afresh. — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Someone in the audience who knew the legendary creator told him about this, and weeks later the duo met him in person and discovered that the admiration was mutual. — Natalia Cano, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2026

Her little acts of rebellion towards her tyrannical teachers attract the admiration of three other misfits and the four girls form an inseparable group. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

Their friendship and mutual admiration produced something that neither had made before, with Rostam’s meticulous production framing Leithauser’s enormous vocal range across doo-wop, country rock, baroque pop, folk and torch song territory. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 17 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing admiration

• self-admiration

Rhymes for admiration

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

admiration

noun

ad·​mi·​ra·​tion ˌad-mə-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an object of admiring regard

2

: a feeling of great and delighted approval