as in inspiring
causing people to want to do or create something; giving inspiration
an inspirational speaker Her courage is inspirational.
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Recent Examples of inspirational
The event will feature inspirational stories about people’s triumphs over homelessness.
—
Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Their actions are both inspirational and worthy of recognition.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Redwine and the film crew were careful to walk the line between inspirational and tragic — not zeroing in on challenges of living with a disability but not glossing over them, either.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the second pandemic in her lifetime, Sister Jean, who usually spoke to players before every game and sent emails to the team after every game, delivered her pregame prayers and inspirational messages virtually.
—Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Jones returned to Instagram on Thursday night with an inspirational quote that was part of a meme.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025
Sitting next to him at his table were the producers of Song Sung Blue, John Davis and John Fox, both clearly excited for the prospects of having a crowd-pleasing kind of inspirational movie coming for the holiday season.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Award-winning filmmaker duo Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge dive into the untold legacy of this uniquely inspirational artist whose outspoken voice and lyrics influenced a generation.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Their actions are both inspirational and worthy of recognition.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Redwine and the film crew were careful to walk the line between inspirational and tragic — not zeroing in on challenges of living with a disability but not glossing over them, either.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
Amid the second pandemic in her lifetime, Sister Jean, who usually spoke to players before every game and sent emails to the team after every game, delivered her pregame prayers and inspirational messages virtually.
—Karen Mizoguchi, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Jones returned to Instagram on Thursday night with an inspirational quote that was part of a meme.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025
Sitting next to him at his table were the producers of Song Sung Blue, John Davis and John Fox, both clearly excited for the prospects of having a crowd-pleasing kind of inspirational movie coming for the holiday season.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Award-winning filmmaker duo Sam Pollard and Daniel Junge dive into the untold legacy of this uniquely inspirational artist whose outspoken voice and lyrics influenced a generation.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspirational
Adjective
-
Yet, one of the most inspiring developmental stories in NBA history doesn’t happen without Antetokounmpo’s stint at the point.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Mould, Barbe, and Travis got together and rehearsed for a possible reunion, but the musical vibe was not as inspiring as Mould had hoped.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps the most impressive part of his scouting report is his intangibles.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
With more time, detour west for a half-day into tiny Siloam Springs, home to a postcard-charming downtown and impressive kayak park (open year-round; just check the website for current river conditions).—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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What’s exciting is that comedic talent can now receive guidance from Mark and be paired with Todd to go out to the market with a project that’s already vetted and packaged.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
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From some exciting new restaurants to great concerts and shows, there is a lot of cool stuff to experience this weekend.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sabrina Carpenter leaned into her provocative image while pulling double duty as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 Oct. 2025
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Her poetry carries it all—the metaphysical, the flirtatious, the unsettling, the provocative— all in such miniscule space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Carpenter also starred in sketches throughout the evening as a 12-year-old boy podcast host, a girlboss motivational speaker who suffers a head injury, and a singing washing machine.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
19 Oct. 2025
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Early in the segment, Carpenter’s character, Queen Lisha—who paired motivational speeches with upbeat choreography—suffered a concussion after her backup dancers threw her a touch too hard into a window.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inspirational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspirational. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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