as in breathtaking
causing great emotional or mental stimulation
an inspiring idea for a national program in which young people would commit themselves to a year of community service
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in encouraging
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
the rousing campaign speech inspired everyone to get out the vote
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2
as in eliciting
to draw out (something hidden, latent, or reserved)
what inspired that comment?
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3
as in educating
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding
great works of visual art can inspire us in ways that the written word often cannot
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of inspiring
Essence, 8 Jan. 2026
The reality is that Brentford are one of the league’s most inspiring and influential teams.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Jake Angelo, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
This transit stokes your sense of independence and even rebelliousness, inspiring you to strike out against convention and innovate more than ever.
—Maressa Brown, InStyle, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inspiring
Adjective
Watching Infiniti thrive so early in her career through a breakout role is truly inspiring to Black girls all over the world.
—Verb
In fact, earlier research indicates that such training could be detrimental, inspiring burnout.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspiring
Adjective
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Located in northern Spain, along the Bay of Biscay and between the popular cities of Bilbao and San Sebastián, the Urola Coast of Basque Country is a breathtaking stretch of shoreline.—
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In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuela's breathtaking northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang.—
Verb
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There was a lot to like about Jovic’s performance on Saturday, with Heat veteran guard Norman Powell pushing and encouraging him along the way.—
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Salt-n-Pepa also joined in, and the group of artists concluded the set with a call-and-response moment alongside the crowd, encouraging everyone to scream along.—
Verb
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Oden subbed out for the remainder of the second OT but returned to the floor for the start of the third, eliciting the frantic reaction from Rice.—
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Over the course of several months, the officers arrested at least 112 people, their crowd control tactics also eliciting criticism from protest groups.—
Verb
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So prevalent is memorabilia fraud that the United States Postal Inspectors Service devotes an entire page on its website educating consumers how to protect themselves.—
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The narrative tracks a woman from an indigenous community in rural India whose job involves educating machine learning systems.—
Adjective
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This season already has plenty of exciting acting talents to spot on the red carpets—including frontrunners such as Chase Infiniti, Renate Reinsve, and Rose Byrne.—
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Craft service had Cinnabons — that was exciting.—
Verb
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Get Your Steam On Sisu is a Finnish word evoking grit and tenacity—fitting for Minnesotans as well.—
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Its silhouette included a sweetheart neckline and a Basque waistline—evoking the shape of many real-life princess dresses.—
Adjective
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The Cowboys have mastered the art of entertaining and interesting better than any sports franchise in the world, but there is a redundancy that to the person who spends a lot of their money on it is justifiably checked out.—
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Seeing these guys unapologetically portrayed by an actor whose superpower is the audience is always with him was interesting.—
Adjective
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But a new study has cast doubt on the idea that the intriguing world shrouded in ice could indeed harbor extraterrestrial life deep in its vast ocean of liquid saltwater.—
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The most intriguing combo of late, though, features Robertson, Nicolas Roy and Easton Cowan.—
Cite this Entry
“Inspiring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspiring. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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