inspired 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of inspirednext
as in talented

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inspired

2 of 2

verb

past tense of inspire
1
as in encouraged
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 elicited
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved) what inspired that comment?

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3
as in educated
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

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 inspired
Adjective
Maresca’s players followed soon after; Iliman Ndiaye, an inspired half-time substitute, was hanging around at the back of the group when Ruben Dias grabbed him and thrust him to the front, ensuring the new signing got a deserved ovation. — Sam Lee, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Chairs are covered in Art Deco–inspired fabric (an homage to Lucas and Hobson’s own library). — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
What inspired you to really hunker down and take things into overdrive? — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 30 Oct. 2026 For Creative Exploration Google’s 20% Time Rule was inspired by 3M’s 15% Culture. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inspired
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspired
  1. talented
  2. encouraged
  3. elicited
  4. educated
  5. gifted
  6. evoked
  7. creative
  8. innovative
Adjective
  • Loose and populated by talented people, Minimum Wage fits in with a lot of the more web-friendly programming that Netflix has been tiptoeing around recently with podcasts and medium-jumping formats.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Watkins headlines a talented group of stars, including AP Player of the Year Sarah Strong of UConn, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and South Carolina's Joyce Edwards.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of talented
Verb
  • Despite their harmless appearance, these exercises encouraged behaviors associated with manipulation and resistance to oversight.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The report detailed the ways in which the app’s user design and promotions encouraged more betting — even after the reporter opted into responsible gaming tools designed to slow users down.
    — Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of encouraged
Verb
  • The success elicited loud cheers in mission control, which viewers saw and heard on JAXA's launch webcast.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the only prominent Ukrainian who has demanded a wartime election is Fedorov, the former defense minister who elicited the comment about Starshield from Musk.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of elicited
Verb
  • He was educated at Middlebury College, and lived in New York City for 15 years, before settling back on the farm with his wife, Olga, and their children, Fiona and Abraham.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Of that cohort, CSET found that 70 percent were foreign-born or foreign- educated.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of educated
Adjective
  • According to People, partygoers were gifted Chanel and Hermès handbags, and a game-show-style giveaway saw cash prizes starting at $10,000 and climbing to a staggering $1 million.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Alex, a gifted cellist who comes home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road, is that part.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of gifted
Verb
  • The name of the magazine was the brainchild of Eunice, who was inspired by the strong, solid, African wood that evoked the heritage of the magazine’s audience.
    — Aaron Wright, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Dark memories The announcement of support for Saudi Arabia has evoked dark memories of Egypt’s involvement in the civil war in Yemen in the 1960s, pitting royalist supporters of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen against the Yemen Arab Republic.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of evoked
Adjective
  • The prompts presented the assistant as a character in creative-writing exercises.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Industry support When Corral’s exit from Movistar Plus was announced last year, there was an outpouring of anger, grief and concern from Spain’s creative community that is rarely afforded to a commissioning executive.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of creative
Adjective
  • During a half-hour speech, von Furstenberg reflected on major career milestones, like her first meeting with Diana Vreeland in 1970 and later being featured on the March 1976 cover of Newsweek in her innovative wrap dress.
    — Ariel Bielsky, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The radio series takes in interviews with academic hormone specialists, including the team at Imperial College in London who are conducting some of the most exciting and innovative research in this area.
    — Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of innovative

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Cite this Entry

“Inspired.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspired. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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