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

Alice's grandfather, Duncan, was the former Laird of North Ronaldsay and provided the inspiration for her son's name.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

You can hear the songs germinating from lonely inspiration to group transformation — and the sound is exhilarating.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Instead, he thinks humanity can deliver its own salvation—albeit with a bit of inspiration from aliens.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Many turn to Instagram and TikTok for inspiration, only for recipe screenshots to go buried and unused in their phones’ camera rolls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

“Aunt March had a good fit and sent the supper,” cried Jo, with a sudden inspiration.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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

And on TikTok, all the girlies are having a “Practical Magic” autumn, posting fancams, outfit inspirations and indulging in the Owens’ famous midnight margarita tradition.

From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026

It would be interesting to see what creative inspirations the Europeans brought back from their American sojourns in addition to novel crops and precious metals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Hopkins weaves in old Welsh folk tunes and nods to impressionistic inspirations like Vaughan Williams and Frederick Delius.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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