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

Whatever the risks of his speechifying, you had to admire — here in our age of political infotainment — the natural finesse with which Springsteen threaded his prepared rhetoric into Tuesday’s set.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 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 greatly admire your column for both its financial insights and its understanding of the psychological and family dynamics behind these decisions.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

One must also admire how it has ridden its 21-day exponential moving average, a key momentum gauge since last April.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

I have to admire this level of enthusiasm, even if I can’t understand it.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

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