inspirational
Americanadjective
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imparting inspiration.
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under the influence of inspiration; inspired. inspired.
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of or relating to inspiration.
adjective
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of, relating to, or tending to arouse inspiration; inspiring
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resulting from inspiration; inspired
Other Word Forms
- inspirationally adverb
- pseudoinspirational adjective
- quasi-inspirational adjective
Etymology
Origin of inspirational
First recorded in 1830–40; inspiration + -al 1
Explanation
Anything inspirational lifts up your spirits. Inspirational words make people feel happier, more capable, and more like they can accomplish their goals. Have you ever seen a proverb on someone's desk or refrigerator that they use to cheer themselves up? That's probably an inspirational quote. A lot of religious language is inspirational, and many actions can be inspirational as well. When someone climbs Mount Everest, that's inspirational because it inspires other people to do great or difficult things. When times are tough, people seek out things that are inspirational.
Vocabulary lists containing inspirational
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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.
It is important and inspirational and hopefully encourages others to pick up their pens or head off to do some crate digging or other cultural archeology.
From Salon • Apr. 14, 2026
Davey Lopes was the most exciting of that great infield and the inspirational leader of the ‘74, ‘77, ‘78 and ‘81 World Series teams.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
As chair, Karp led the weekly Thursday partners’ meetings as if he were a politician giving the state of the union, offering lengthy inspirational addresses, one person familiar said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Glover has said he will take with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
The combination of the time constraint along with Sydney’s desire to say something significant and inspirational was what had caused her to rewrite her speech so many times.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
