inspiration

American  

[in-spuh-rey-shuhn] / ˌɪn spəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

inspirations plural

1. an inspiring or animating action or influence.

   I cannot write poetry without inspiration.

   Synonyms:

   incitement, stimulus

2. something inspired, as an idea.

3. a result of inspired activity.

4. a thing or person that inspires.

5. Theology.

   1. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.

   2. the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.

6. the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.

7. the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired.

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inspiration British  

/ ˌɪnspɪˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity

2. the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused

3. someone or something that causes this state

4. an idea or action resulting from such a state

5. the act or process of inhaling; breathing in

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inspiration Scientific  

/ ĭn′spə-rā′shən /

1. See inhalation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinspiration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• inspirations
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inspiration inspirations

We drew a lot of inspiration from the Congresses that wrote the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments after the Civil War.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Xiaohongshu is now the first place "a lot of younger travellers" seek inspiration, said Ming Yii Lai, senior strategy consultant at Daxue Consulting.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

“He was absolutely my inspiration because he was technically minded. He made my childhood and formative years one of the greatest times of my life,” Don Iwerks told The Times in 1998.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Lionel Messi, at 39, remains Argentina's leader and inspiration, still capable of producing the magic that has this proud and passionate football country contemplating a repeat of their World Cup win four years ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

He opened to the reading in Jeremiah where we had left off the night before, then with sudden inspiration passed the Bible across the table to Meyer.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Ms. Ware has cited Donna Summer and Chaka Khan as inspirations, and her voice’s combination of power and warmth puts her in league with such legends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026

Knowing that Rocky’s voice would come from Grace’s unsophisticated computer setup, Ortiz gathered inspirations, at times subconsciously, from a variety of robotic sources.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

She suggested it did a "good enough" job of mixing its various inspirations without surpassing any of them.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

History, by this model, offers motley warnings, reality-checks and sober inspirations for the work ahead in place of a master narrative.

From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2026

The second is missing the commas that delimit the phrases making up the list of inspirations: cooking, her family, and her dog.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• encouragement
• enthusiasm
• genius
• incentive
• influence
• insight
• motivation
• revelation
• vision