1
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
the rousing campaign speech inspired everyone to get out the vote
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to elicit
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
what inspired that comment?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
great works of visual art can inspire us in ways that the written word often cannot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inspire
Celebrity Cruises has taken delivery of its newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, debuting in November 2025 with fresh spaces inspired by traveler feedback — plus announced construction on Celebrity Xcite, launching in 2028.
—
Josh Rivera, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Architects Smith and Gill explained the shape to AD as being inspired by palm fronds, which are found throughout Saudi Arabia.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The saloon’s swinging doors, inspired by movie westerns but built to last, make a custom statement.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
What inspires you to give back?
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Josh Rivera, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Architects Smith and Gill explained the shape to AD as being inspired by palm fronds, which are found throughout Saudi Arabia.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
The saloon’s swinging doors, inspired by movie westerns but built to last, make a custom statement.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
What inspires you to give back?
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspire
Verb
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Instead of scrolling through Instagram—or, admittedly, hitting the snooze button a few too many times—Vig encourages you to spend that time sprucing up your space.—
Kelsey Mulvey,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Police are encouraging anyone with knowledge of the crash to come forward with further details.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The viral photos and videos of the destruction have elicited strong emotions for many Americans.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
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But the piece de resistance is a small button on the face of the guitar that, when pressed, activates a chip on a soundboard that elicits the distinctive roar of Godzilla.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Employers should foster transparent, safe ways for employees to voice concerns inside the organization and educate managers on how to handle them.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
28 Oct. 2025
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Word had gotten around that the home belonged to an elder activist, an old-school Garveyite who had come from the South to educate the city of Brotherly Love’s Black masses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The filmmaker instead evokes his earlier work—namely Dogtooth and The Killing of a Sacred Deer—combining the mannered, hermetic bleakness of those tales with the befuddled existentialism of a Samuel Beckett play.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Fox also added some graphic accents, which included red splatters to evoke Kennedy's tragic killing.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspire. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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