✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

inspiring

adjective

in·​spir·​ing in-ˈspī-riŋ How to pronounce inspiring (audio)
Synonyms of inspiringnext
: having an animating or exalting effect

Examples of inspiring in a Sentence

an inspiring idea for a national program in which young people would commit themselves to a year of community service
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Attention, brides of 2026, this look could be very inspiring for your final bridal look. Tatiana Ojea, Glamour, 6 Dec. 2025 As the 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Long launched his foundation in 2015 with the mission of inspiring athletes and fans to advance access to clean water and educational equity. Jenn McGraw, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025 The menu is inspired by six historic cookbooks of Puerto Rico, dating as far back as 1859 and offering an ode to the island's culinary heritage that still feels modern and inspiring. Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 Dec. 2025 Since then, according to authorities, 764 has grown into more of an ideology than a singular group, inspiring offshoots and subgroups around the world that mirror 764 but use different names to help keep social media companies and law enforcement from tracking them. Mike Levine, ABC News, 3 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inspiring

Word History

First Known Use

1717, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inspiring was in 1717

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inspiring. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on inspiring

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!