inspiration
Americannoun
-
inspirations
plural
-
an inspiring or animating action or influence.
I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
- Synonyms:
- incitement, stimulus
-
something inspired, as an idea.
-
a result of inspired activity.
-
a thing or person that inspires.
-
Theology.
-
a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
-
the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
-
-
the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.
-
the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired.
noun
-
stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity
-
the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused
-
someone or something that causes this state
-
an idea or action resulting from such a state
-
the act or process of inhaling; breathing in
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inspiration
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English inspiracio(u)n, from Late Latin inspīrātiōn-, stem of inspīrātiō literally “a breathing in,” from inspīrāt(us) “breathed in” (past participle of inspīrāre; see inspire) + -iō -ion
Explanation
An inspiration is a product of your thought, like a brilliant idea. If you have the next revolutionary inspiration like the printing press, the telephone, or the computer, you may just change the world. The noun inspiration can also mean a sudden intuition or idea, or something that arouses your desire to take action. You may find that doing some routine provides inspiration (gets your creative juices flowing), like going for a walk, looking at art, or reading a great poem. Inspiration can also mean breathing in or inhaling.
Vocabulary lists containing inspiration
An Inspirational Back-to-School Word List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Ingenious Lexicon of Invention
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"A beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many, she will be deeply missed," it said.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Portuguese protesters have taken inspiration from a similar movement in neighbouring Spain, where tents have stood in central Madrid and other cities for weeks.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Rick McCormack, the architect behind the look, credited founder David Overton with the inspiration, saying he wanted to evoke funky 1970s San Francisco restaurants located in grand Victorian houses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
"This study highlights why it's so important for a molecular technology development lab like ours to keep looking to nature for inspiration," Shipman says.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
As I raised the blind, and the morning sunlight flooded the room, I heard the Professor’s low hiss of inspiration, and knowing its rarity, a deadly fear shot through my heart.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Zombies were inspirations from the ’60s, along with later acts like Todd Rundgren, Big Star and XTC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Alongside Turkish girl group Hepsi, manifest cite the Spice Girls among their musical inspirations.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
But that is the great joy of Anderson’s “Resident Evil” films: They are so remarkably stylized, so absurdly over-the-top, so referential and deferent to Anderson’s own inspirations, that they’ve become singular visions.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Shaboozey has cited Leone and Quentin Tarantino as inspirations in his work, and the new collection is stuffed—some will say overstuffed—with pulpy cinematic flourishes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Conferences dragged, producers got inspirations that had to carefully get shot down, directors needed their egos soothed.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
