admiring

adjective

ad·​mir·​ing əd-ˈmī-riŋ 

: feeling or showing esteem and admiration

welcomed by an admiring crowd

an admiring look/glance

"Very sweet and angelic of you," said Stephen, looking at her with an admiring smile.

—George Eliot

admiringly adverb

spoke admiringly of her talents

And when it was over, Jerry West walked into the Celtic locker room and said admiringly, "Bird was always two thoughts ahead of everyone else."

—Bob Ryan

Synonyms of admiring

• favorable
• positive
• good
• appreciative
• approving

Examples of admiring in a Sentence

the smartly dressed couple drew admiring glances

Recent Examples on the Web

Amid all the admiring, even nostalgic, books and films commemorating America’s revolutionary beginnings in the lead-up to our country’s 250th birthday, Ellis’ book examines the underside of that time, specifically the failure to end slavery, and the failure to avoid Indian removal. —The Know, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026

The show was so admiring of America’s foundation, everyone from Obama to several actual treasury secretaries to (infamously) Mike Pence, went to the show, demonstrative of a whole new audience for a musical. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2026

Other Democratic strategists who know Mehlhorn were less admiring. —Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026

While Wu was hoisting a chain saw that day in Nova Scotia—and covered extensively by an admiring media—Healey was delivering an unheralded and uncovered speech to an energy conference of the New England-Canadian Business Council in Boston. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of admire

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for admiring

• acquiring
• aspiring
• conspiring
• enquiring
• expiring
• inspiring
• perspiring
• rehiring
• retiring
• untiring
• firing
• hiring