1
as in to encourage
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
the rousing campaign speech inspired everyone to get out the vote
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to elicit
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
what inspired that comment?
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inspire
Scientists at Penn State have developed a flexible, high-power hydrogel battery inspired by electric eels.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Like its sister hotels in Nantucket and Palm Beach, the property’s signature restaurant, Lola, will have a menu inspired by destinations along the 41st parallel, from Nantucket to Japan.
—Amy Tara Koch, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
The season is inspired by Michael Connelly's novel The Law of Innocence and will test Mickey like never before.
—Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Pointing to Mitchell in the audience, Allen said Mitchell had inspired her to start songwriting and playing guitar at age eight.
—Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Like its sister hotels in Nantucket and Palm Beach, the property’s signature restaurant, Lola, will have a menu inspired by destinations along the 41st parallel, from Nantucket to Japan.
—Amy Tara Koch, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026
The season is inspired by Michael Connelly's novel The Law of Innocence and will test Mickey like never before.
—Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Pointing to Mitchell in the audience, Allen said Mitchell had inspired her to start songwriting and playing guitar at age eight.
—Lily Moayeri, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inspire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspire
Verb
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Warned about assignments, encouraged to job hunt This story is based on interviews with 10 current and former Post staffers drawn from both the newsroom and the business side of the paper.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
30 Jan. 2026
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In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Matt Damon, the star of many movies that college students may not have seen, said that Netflix has started encouraging filmmakers to put action sequences in the first five minutes of a film to get viewers hooked.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To keep yourself safe, remember that the purpose of contrast therapy is to elicit a specific physiological response, not test your willpower.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
3 Feb. 2026
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This last part seemed to be a joke, eliciting a peal of laughter from his wife.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
3 Feb. 2026
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To many charter school advocates, declining enrollments are a result of IPS' failures to educate historically underserved students, sparking their flight to charters.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The rooms Boutique interior architecture and design firm Fettle Design handled The Inn’s interiors, which evoke a strong sense of place without reverting to overtly Western clichés.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
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Even the establishing shots start to evoke those time-lapse interstitials on reality shows.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inspire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspire. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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