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

Despite his admiration for the tournament, Posey’s primary goal is to construct a winning baseball team. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026

There was ever on both sides admiration and suspicion. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026

Each year, the group hosts a Fourth of July celebration in Denmark — a symbol of the nation’s deep admiration for America. —Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 22 Jan. 2026

Curry and Federer have longstanding mutual admiration, engaging in a coin toss together at the 2025 Laver Cup and, the year prior, paying each other visits at Federer’s Today Show appearance and one of Curry’s GSW training sessions. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Jan. 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