Meaning of admire in English

admire

verb [ T ]

/ədˈmaɪər/ us

/ədˈmaɪr/

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to find someone or something attractive and pleasant to look at:

We stood for a few moments, admiring the view.

I was just admiring your jacket, Delia.

to respect and approve of someone or their behaviour:

I admired him for his determination.

I really admire people who can work in such difficult conditions.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to admire someone or something

admireI've always admired her for her generous spirit.
respectI respect her for what she has achieved, but I would have approached it very differently.
think highly ofEveryone thinks highly of him.
hold someone in high esteemHer colleagues in Washington hold her in very high esteem.
hold someone in high regardHe contributed much to the life of York, and was held in high regard there.
look up toShe was my older sister and I looked up to her.

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I admire her forthright way of dealing with people.
Susannah put down the paintbrush and stood back to admire her handiwork.
You have to admire the artistry of her novels.
He flexed his muscles so that everyone could admire them.
They stopped at the top of the hill to admire the scenery.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Showing respect and admiration

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(Definition of admire from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

admire | American Dictionary

admire

verb [ T ]

/ədˈmɑɪər/

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to respect and approve of someone or something:

I admire that music more than any other.

admirable

adjective us

/ˈæd·mər·ə·bəl/

The police did an admirable job of calming down the crowd.

admirably

adverb us

/ˈæd·mər·ə·bli/

I think she coped admirably with a very difficult situation.

admiration

noun [ U ] us

/ˌæd·məˈreɪ·ʃən/

My admiration for her grows daily.

admirer

noun [ C ] us

/ədˈmɑɪər·ər/

Many admirers waited in the rain just to see their hero.

(Definition of admire from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of admire

admire

Members admired the power and simplicity of the construction, the unified arrangement of the design and its ability to command a wide visual field.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As we have seen, he now admired rather different artists to those he had back in 1832.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is therefore unsurprising that the music press largely ignores teenybopper fans and the artists they admire, as the most obvious inhabitants of this mainstream.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Stirling, the man, was admired by architects as an outspoken, uncompromising figurehead who challenged 'the establishment', both inside and outside architecture.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If one hesitates to accept the methods, concepts, or the conclusions of the author, one cannot help but admire and support his goals.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One cannot but admire the author's courage and stamina.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These were the same qualities admired by brickmakers in the decades after repeal of the tax on bricks.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Thousands admire the sentimental writer; the affectionate father is hardly known in his parish.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

She wished she could believe and said that she admired those who could withstand disaster by means of their faith.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The shepherds in turn sit and admire the lovely jumps of the satyrs.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The ablative absolute is an ancient form of grammatical error much admired by modern scholars.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

He, too, admires himself - for his qualities: his beauty, cleverness, talents - and for his success and achievements.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

To this overwhelmingly presentational performer, they are all stooges, victims, or admiring spectators.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

I admired his approach to economics, and his commitment to moral and social issues.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

For this music has been greatly, even extravagantly, admired.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of admire?

Translations of admire

in Chinese (Traditional)

欣賞, 羨慕, 欽佩…

Meaning of admire in English

admire | American Dictionary

admirable

admirably

admiration

admirer

Examples of admire

Translations of admire

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