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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
3
as in uplift
a feeling of ease from grief or trouble
The return of summer brought with it a new sense of inspiration.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
One thing that bothered me in my career as a stylist was the cliché that the inspiration of the show is a certain period, and the designer did not see certain races in the casting.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
The pandemic was a major inspiration for Roth.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Fergie even allegedly served as the inspiration for Diddy’s cologne Unforgivable.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 11 May 2026
Read on for only the best inspiration.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inspiration
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
The pandemic was a major inspiration for Roth.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 May 2026
Fergie even allegedly served as the inspiration for Diddy’s cologne Unforgivable.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 11 May 2026
Read on for only the best inspiration.
—Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for inspiration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspiration
Noun
-
But much of the talk centered on health and motivation.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Others contain hidden structures of motivation.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The Pisces Moon adds creativity and intuition, helping bigger ideas feel both inspiring and workable.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
The Moon in Aquarius moves through your 5th House and trines Venus in Gemini, making creativity and playful experimentation especially productive.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Pichai carries strong values into his work—economic uplift, compassion for migrants—and says his quest is to build useful things for as many people as possible.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
Landslides are common in the coastal mountains of Alaska where rapid uplift, caused by tectonic forces and long-term ice loss, converges with the erosive forces of precipitation and moving glaciers.—
Ezgi Karasözen,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Peonies symbolize love, loyalty, and encouragement.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
Sabalenka was furious, asking her team to give her some encouragement.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The Pisces Moon adds imagination to strategy and helps good ideas connect.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2026
-
This combination from chef Gino Angelini is unlikely to have occurred in even your wildest imagination.—
Carolynn Carreño,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Later, the Moon squares the Sun, exposing tension between social momentum and personal comfort.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
The antisemite also revels in the release of constraints imposed by living peacefully in society with others and finds comfort in joining crowds of people like them.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The lawyers do have a valid point that the state Department of Financial Services can do a better job of regulating auto insurance rates, which everyone agrees are too high and is the main impetus for Hochul’s reforms.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
Villa could not find any impetus in the second half.—
Tottenham Hotspur,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
The dais and the crowd stood and cheered in appreciation, and the camera cut to a shot of Tracee Ellis Ross in the audience literally breathing a sigh of relief.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
-
Hot Girls Pearls Freezable Cooling Jewelry is beautifully engineered to provide instant cooling relief for all your hottest moments.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inspiration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspiration. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
