What does inspire mean?
To inspire means to awaken motivation, confidence, creativity, or a powerful feeling in another person. A person can inspire someone to pursue a goal, while an experience, story, or work of art can inspire an idea or evoke wonder, hope, or admiration. The word is often associated with admiration: an inspiring person is viewed as encouraging, admirable, or capable of stirring others to action. It can also have a slightly literary or emotional tone when describing something that arouses awe or deep feeling. In every sense, the central idea is that an outside person, event, or object sets something in motion within another mind or spirit. The word is useful because it describes both deliberate encouragement and the less direct influence of ideas, art, and experience.
verbTo fill someone with the desire or ability to do something, especially by providing motivation, encouragement, or an idea. It can also mean to evoke a particular feeling or reaction in someone.
- To fill someone with motivation, enthusiasm, or confidence to act.
- To give someone an idea or the creative impulse to produce something.
- To evoke a strong feeling, such as awe, hope, fear, or admiration, in someone.
"Her courage and determination inspired the whole team to keep trying."
"The professor's lecture inspired the students to pursue careers in science."
"The photographs inspire a feeling of wonder about the natural world."
The word behind inspire and aspiration comes from the same Latin root as respiration, linking the breath of the body with the spark of a human imagination.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inspire come from?
The verb comes from Latin inspirare, formed from in- meaning 'into' and spirare, meaning 'to breathe'. The original sense was to breathe in or breathe something into another person. By extension, the word developed the meaning of putting an idea, feeling, or impulse into someone. Related English forms such as inspiration and expiration preserve the same Latin root, while cognates in other languages reflect its history of breath and breath-inspired emotion.
Related word forms
How inspire is actually used
Inspire is widely used in formal and informal contexts. It commonly takes a person as its object, as in 'inspire someone,' or a feeling or action as its object, as in 'inspire confidence' and 'inspire someone to act.'
Easily confused with inspire
Inspire means to give someone motivation or a new idea, whereas aspire means to have a long-term ambition to achieve something.