admire Hear it!

admire Definition

ad·mire (ad mīr′, əd-)

transitive verb -·mired′, -·mir′·ing

  1. to regard with wonder, delight, and pleased approval
  2. to have high regard for
  3. ☆ Dialectal to like or wish: with an infinitive object I'd admire to go along
  4. Archaic to marvel at

Etymology: OFr admirer < L admirari < ad-, at + mirari, to wonder: see miracle

admire Related Forms
ad·mir′er noun ad·mir′·ingly adverb
admire Synonyms

admire

v.

  1. To have regard for

    esteem, honor, applaud, praise, extol, respect, approve, revere, venerate, eulogize, panegyrize, laud, boost, glorify, reverence, hold dear, appreciate, credit, commend, favor, value, treasure, prize, look up to, rate highly, pay homage to, idolize, adore, worship, hail, put a high price on, regard with approbation, have a high opinion of, regard highly, wonder at, marvel at, think highly of, value highly, esteem highly, regard as fine, consider brilliant, think wonderful, hold in esteem, hold in respect, think well of, show deference to, set store by*, put on a pedestal*, make an ado about*, think the world of*.

    Antonyms censure*, deride, deprecate.

  2. To be fond of or delighted with

    cherish, contemplate pleasurably, delight in, relish; see like 1, 2. See syn. study atregard.

admire Usage Examples

Object

  • glance: I was a die-hard wintel user for many years, paying only the occasional admiring glance at Macs.
  • scenery: We turned the dive here after admiring the scenery with my 50 watt light.
  • panorama: We then headed down to the indoor pool and slowly swam a few lengths while admiring the panorama through the huge picture windows.
  • courage: But don't get me wrong.. I do admire the courage and drive of the younger generation.
  • ingenuity: One must particularly admire the ingenuity of the creators of some of the parasites, particularly those with several hosts.
  • view: Each has a private deck complete with hammock to admire the view.

Subject

  • visitor: Marketing Highly professional and motivated designers have made our brochure much admired by visitors and competitors alike.

Adjective complement

  • most: Q ) Who do you admire most in the women's game?

Modifying Another Word

  • greatly: I greatly admire the way she handled certain situations with Arthur.
  • universally: His tenure of that Office was not universally admired.
  • hugely: But in the field of music education, Kodály is a towering figure, hugely admired all over the globe.
  • widely: His editorial work on the 17th-century poet Thomas Swan has been widely admired.
  • much: The Venetian windows at the front are much admired.
  • particularly: One must particularly admire the ingenuity of the creators of some of the parasites, particularly those with several hosts.

Used with why or when

  • who: Her heroines are women I admire who have fully rounded personalities and unique characteristics.
  • what: I admire what he was able to do with what he was given.

Preposition: in

  • regeneration: Who is the figure you most admire in regeneration?
  • industry: Who is the person you most admire in the media industry?

Preposition: from

  • afar: Still, admiring from afar is one thing; the actuality of driving the thing something else entirely.

Preposition: by

  • visitor: Marketing Highly professional and motivated designers have made our brochure much admired by visitors and competitors alike.
admire Quotes

You always admire what you don't really understand.

—Roosevelt, (Anna) Eleanor

  As for the virtuous poor, one can pity them, of course, but one cannot possibly admire them.

—Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'FlahertieWills

I admire him, I frankly confess it; and when his time is come I shall buy a piece of the rope for a keepsake.

—Twain, Mark pseudonym of  Samuel Langhorne Clemens

Il y a dans les hommes plus de choses a'   admirer que de choses a'   me¤  priser. There are more things to admire in people than to despise.

—Camus, Albert

Not to admire, is all the art I know, To make men happy, and to keep them so.

—Pope, Alexander

Women are like tricks by sleight of hand, which, to admire, we should not understand.

—Congreve,William