inspired
Americanadjective
-
aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or as if by supernatural or divine influence.
an inspired poet.
-
resulting from such inspiration.
an inspired poem;
an inspired plan.
-
inhaled.
inspired air.
adjective
-
aroused or guided by or as if aroused or guided by divine inspiration
an inspired performance
she was like one inspired
-
extremely accurate or apt but based on intuition rather than knowledge or logical deduction
an inspired guess
Other Word Forms
- inspiredly adverb
Etymology
Origin of inspired
Explanation
Inspired is an adjective that describes something of excellent quality. If your singing in a choral concert is particularly inspired, people can hear your voice hitting all the right notes beautifully. If something is so extraordinary that it's worthy of being described as inspired, you might think that the gods had something to do with its creation. In fact, inspired originally meant "directly inspired by God or gods." It comes from the Latin in-"in" and spirare "to breathe." Maybe such supernatural power did breathe life into something truly excellent. Or maybe the humans just worked very hard and had a great idea.
Vocabulary lists containing inspired
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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.
To overcome this limitation, Rak developed a new approach inspired by his background in chemistry.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
"I'm thrilled. I'm absolutely thrilled to be speaking with you, Jeremy and the crew. We've all been watching and inspired by what you're doing."
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
When he collaborated with woodworker Ladislav Czernek to design a dining table from the 100-year-old white oak on San Rafael, the project inspired Peck to do more than just sell lumber.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The kits will be inspired by iconic looks from the past and pay homage to each club's history and fan traditions.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
It was Schott’s book that inspired Robert Boyle to construct his own air pump in England, and it is perhaps not a coincidence that vacuum experiments were recommenced in Florence in 1657.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
