What does admirability mean?
Admirability is a formal noun denoting the quality of being worthy of admiration — the property that makes a person's courage, an action's nobility, or a work's excellence deserving of respect and praise. Where 'admiration' names the feeling a person experiences, admirability names the source of that feeling in the thing admired. The word is relatively rare compared with its more familiar relatives 'admirable' and 'admiration', and it tends to appear in evaluative, literary, or academic contexts rather than everyday speech. It is an uncountable abstract noun, usually introduced by phrases such as 'the admirability of'. Its connotations are entirely positive, carrying a tone of considered judgment rather than effusive enthusiasm. Traced to Latin roots, it belongs to a family of words concerned with wonder and regard, making it a precise choice when a writer wishes to discuss merit as a quality in itself rather than describe the emotion it provokes.
nounThe quality of being worthy of admiration or esteem; the degree to which something or someone inspires respect, approval, or praise.
- The quality of deserving admiration; worthiness of respect, approval, or praise.
"The admirability of her decision to donate the entire prize lay in the fact that she never sought credit for it."
"Critics praised the novel's moral admirability without finding it particularly exciting."
"What struck the committee most was the quiet admirability of his years of unpublicized charity work."
Extremely rare; the noun is normally treated as uncountable, and a plural would appear only in unusual philosophical or enumerative contexts.
"The essay weighed the various admirabilities of the candidates' records."
Hidden inside 'admirability' is the Latin mirus, meaning 'wonderful' — the same root that gives us 'miracle', so to call something admirable is literally to call it a small wonder.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of admirability
Admirability derives from the adjective 'admirable', which entered English from Old French in the late Middle Ages and ultimately comes from the Latin verb 'admirari', meaning 'to wonder at'. That Latin root combines 'ad-' ('toward') with 'mirari' ('to wonder'), the source of 'miracle' and 'marvel'. English formed 'admirability' by adding the Latinate suffix '-ity' to 'admirable', following the standard pattern for creating abstract nouns of quality.
Related word forms
How admirability is actually used
A formal, somewhat literary abstract noun, far less common than its relatives 'admiration' and 'admirable'. It is typically used in evaluative or academic discussion of character, conduct, or achievement, and is almost always uncountable.
Easily confused with admirability
Admiration is the feeling of respect or approval itself, while admirability is the quality in a person or thing that evokes that feeling.