admire

American  

[ad-mahyuhr] / ædˈmaɪər /

verb (used with object)

admired, admiring

1. to regard with wonder, pleasure, or approval.

   Synonyms:

   venerate, revere, esteem

   Antonyms:

   despise

2. to regard with wonder or surprise (usually used ironically or sarcastically).

   I admire your audacity.

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verb (used without object)

admired, admiring

1. to feel or express admiration.

2. Dialect. to take pleasure; like or desire.

   I would admire to go.

idioms

1. be admiring of, to admire.

   He's admiring of his brother's farm.

admire British  

/ ədˈmaɪə /

verb

1. to regard with esteem, respect, approval, or pleased surprise

2. archaic to wonder at

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Other Word Forms

• admirer noun
• admiring adjective
• admiringly adverb
• preadmire verb (used with object)
• quasi-admire verb
• unadmired adjective

Etymology

Origin of admire

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin admīrārī, equivalent to ad- ad- + mīrārī (in Medieval Latin mīrāre ) “to wonder at, admire”

Explanation

If you hold someone in high esteem or look up to someone, you admire that person. If you ask four-year-olds who they most admire, they are likely to list their mom, dad, and grandparents — or superheroes and comic book characters. The verb admire also means to look at with wonder and pleasure. She stood on the balcony of her hotel for a long time, simply to admire the view of the ocean and the surf as it crashed against the rocks below. I admire the way she volunteers to help at the school and with other charities because she is willing to give her time to good causes.

Example Sentences

I don’t generally cling to old beliefs, I tend to admire those who have dissented against prevailing orthodoxies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

I’m hard-pressed to think of any movie I’d watch four times in a month if I didn’t genuinely admire it on some level.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

I admire Stones so much as a person that I hope he gets enough football and game time to trust his body with the various injury problems he has had to contend with.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

One of the many things I admire about “Sinners” is its acknowledgment that artists, dreamers and visionaries like Coogler still have to exist within a system they might disagree with, possibly even hate.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Penelope half hoped he would notice and perhaps even admire the jaunty, galloping rhythm of the words, but he simply counted out the money and went back to his budgets.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• adore
• applaud
• appreciate
• cherish
• commend
• credit
• extol
• hail
• honor
• idolize
• laud
• marvel at
• praise
• prize
• respect
• revere
• treasure
• worship