inspiration
Americannoun
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an inspiring or animating action or influence.
I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
- Synonyms:
- incitement, stimulus
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something inspired, as an idea.
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a result of inspired activity.
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a thing or person that inspires.
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Theology.
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a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.
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the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.
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the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.
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the act of inspiring; quality or state of being inspired.
noun
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stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity
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the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused
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someone or something that causes this state
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an idea or action resulting from such a state
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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
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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:
It sounds like a scene straight out of “A Hard Day’s Night” — or maybe inspiration for his next film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 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
It started with Navratilova, a record nine-time singles champion at the All England Club, who remained an inspiration to those back in her homeland after defecting from communist Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1975.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Only today’s would-be homesteaders look to TikTok stars like Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman for inspiration or don Gunne Sax-style prairie dresses and call the look cottagecore.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Your inspiration for a music or integrated lesson plan can be a song, an instrument, timbre, vocal sound, poem, story, rhythm, speech pattern, etc.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
There’s a plethora of modern and contemporary examples on view that reflect the far-flung inspirations and styles that artists have embraced when creating tarot cards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
Where The Beades had plundered music hall, centuries-old Anglo-Celtic folk and the sounds of the 1960s electronic avant- garde, Steve Reich derived his inspirations from African drumming and Balinese gamelan music.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions 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.
