1
as in encourages
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 elicits
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
what inspired that comment?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in educates
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
great works of visual art can inspire us in ways that the written word often cannot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 inspires
That insight has guided the team at Typhur, headquartered in San Jose at the heart of Silicon Valley, a location that inspires them to engineer precision with intuitive design.
—
Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
Matilda Tongying Liang dedicated her collection to her mother, who inspires her, said Liang.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Fueled by journalism that informs and inspires, Forbes spotlights the doers and doings shaping industries, achieving success and making an impact on the world.
—Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The still-unfinished Sagrada Família inspires awe with its Gothic-meets-modernist majesty—and enduring century-long construction timeline.
—AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025
Philomelic writing is an outcry borne of pain, writing that demands community awareness and social change, or at least that inspires acknowledgement of an injustice or a moral failing that might shift the behaviors of readers.
—Douglas Unger
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Paul takes a local gal to his hotel room for a nightcap, which inspires the gal’s husband to take a chair to Paul’s head.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
But Berner would still be white — specifically, the kind of white girl who gets in the face of a Black woman and yells at her that her mere existence inspires violence.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 10 Mar. 2025
Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
Matilda Tongying Liang dedicated her collection to her mother, who inspires her, said Liang.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Fueled by journalism that informs and inspires, Forbes spotlights the doers and doings shaping industries, achieving success and making an impact on the world.
—Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The still-unfinished Sagrada Família inspires awe with its Gothic-meets-modernist majesty—and enduring century-long construction timeline.
—AFAR Media, 3 Sep. 2025
Philomelic writing is an outcry borne of pain, writing that demands community awareness and social change, or at least that inspires acknowledgement of an injustice or a moral failing that might shift the behaviors of readers.
—Douglas Unger
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Paul takes a local gal to his hotel room for a nightcap, which inspires the gal’s husband to take a chair to Paul’s head.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Mar. 2025
But Berner would still be white — specifically, the kind of white girl who gets in the face of a Black woman and yells at her that her mere existence inspires violence.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 10 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspires
Verb
-
Combined, the ingredients are a powerhouse that encourages surface skin cell turnover to give complexions an overall smooth, supple appearance.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Through speculative thinking and the power of the arts, this collection encourages us to see ourselves outside of the constraints that persist today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Every bite elicits wonder, provoking a quiet moment of gratitude for this lush, miraculous habitat.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
-
While people have different definitions for luxury, the word typically elicits extravagance, grandeur, and exclusivity.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Allison Parshall,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The school district, which educates about 23,000 students, is working toward making CPR a skill that every student learns at least once a year starting in fifth grade, said Superintendent Joe Harrington.—
Ciara McCarthy
September 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another, also built from white disks on a bending wire, evokes a mechanized Japanese cherry tree, its circles—perched high on a narrow stem—not revolving so much as brushing quickly past one another.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
-
In the complicated, thorny, offensive, manipulative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes uncomfortable video interview, which evokes the feeling of an uncle sitting down with his hardheaded nephew, Thug is reeling and full of so much anxiety that his legs are shaking.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inspires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspires. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share