inspiration

noun

Definition of inspirationnext
1
as in motivation
something that arouses action or activity She traveled cross-country seeking inspiration for her next book. He credits his mother as his inspiration for becoming a social worker.

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2
as in creativity
the ability to form mental images of things that either are not physically present or have never been conceived or created by others They were a group of young artists filled with inspiration.

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3
as in uplift
a feeling of ease from grief or trouble The return of summer brought with it a new sense of inspiration.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inspiration The working title takes its inspiration from the stickleback fish. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026 On the topic of macOS, that operating system has far more years of development under its belt and is arguably an inspiration for Googlebook OS. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026 As the first Laika movie explicitly set in Portland, the studio looked for inspiration in their own backyards for how to bring the universe of Colin Meloy's titular novel to life. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026 His method and his small bits of lore and inspiration and little details of how to be a better actor. — Lori A Bashian , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inspiration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspiration
  1. motivation
  2. creativity
  3. uplift
  4. encouragement
  5. imagination
  6. comfort
  7. impetus
  8. relief
Noun
  • Saturday’s matchup also gives Liberty motivation to avenge last season’s loss.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Mid-month, an interesting and rare triple conjunction of Mars, Jupiter, and the South Node constellates in Leo, pumping you up with confidence and motivation to go all the way for the gold.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of motivation
Noun
  • What is this false engine that’s also making a lot of creativity happen?
    — Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Every single day, each person chooses how much of their energy, creativity, and discretionary effort to bring to work.
    — Deborah Lovich, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of creativity
Noun
  • Beauty, the Food Halls and the Gift Box Beauty and the Food Halls see the strongest uplift during the Diwali period, according to Bright, with gifting running through the entire customer journey.
    — Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Given that this uplift comes from the algorithm not weighing GPU performance as heavily, the underlying native frame rate should be higher, reducing the more typical artifacts of frame generation.
    — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of uplift
Noun
  • But Smith also had encouragement for Hurts, whom Lynn and the Eagles said should be expected to make a full recovery with treatment from blood thinners that precludes contact activities for the next few months.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Kid Rock's support eventually extended beyond words of encouragement.
    — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouragement
Noun
  • Love doesn’t necessarily make a good photograph, but the photographer’s interest, and the intelligence and imagination behind it, can contribute to the making of a picture that interests us.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026
  • His novels are absolute master classes in how much to reveal, how much to leave to the reader’s terrified imagination.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of imagination
Noun
  • And both generations overwhelmingly found comfort, style, and cultural relevance appealing.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The survey explores the factors that trigger people to go for outdoor comfort.
    — Gagandeep Singh, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of comfort
Noun
  • The original impetus for the film, to be honest, was to look at an incredible life story over a long German period.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Another impetus for the merger plans might be the sales struggles Tesla has been experiencing and the vast technological challenges from robotaxi competitors such as Waymo.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of impetus
Noun
  • The bill delivered no tax on tips or overtime pay, and tax relief for seniors.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
  • General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that his office is seeking civil penalties and equitable relief against the operators of Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic, accusing them of mismanaging its hazardous waste.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of relief

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inspects
inspiration
inspirational
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Cite this Entry

“Inspiration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspiration. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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