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

Bennahmias has long been vocal about his admiration for Swatch and has publicly praised the MoonSwatch for making high-end watchmaking feel accessible and fun. —Clara Ludmir, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

And so this also gives a lot of hope and admiration for the people that have not given up because of one failure. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 12 May 2026

But the Cocteau Twins continue to influence multiple generations of alternative artists, in addition to earning the admiration of superstars like Madonna and Prince. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 12 May 2026

Streeting has often expressed admiration for the government of Tony Blair, who was prime minister while Streeting was a student at the University of Cambridge. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 12 May 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