admire

verb

ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(-ə)r 

admired; admiring

transitive verb

1

: to feel respect and approval for (someone or something) : to regard with admiration

They all admired her courage.

2

archaic : to marvel at

intransitive verb

dialect : to like very much

… I would admire to know why not …

—A. H. Lewis

admirer noun

Synonyms

• appreciate
• consider
• esteem
• regard
• respect

Choose the Right Synonym for admire

regard, respect, esteem, admire mean to recognize the worth of a person or thing.

regard is a general term that is usually qualified.

he is highly regarded in the profession

respect implies a considered evaluation or estimation.

after many years they came to respect her views

esteem implies greater warmth of feeling accompanying a high valuation.

no citizen of the town was more highly esteemed

admire suggests usually enthusiastic appreciation and often deep affection.

a friend that I truly admire

Examples of admire in a Sentence

We gazed out the window and admired the scenery.

I admire the way you handled such a touchy situation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jay O’Brien, a real estate broker in Liberty, was a technology fan of Elon Musk’s years before the world’s richest man turned Twitter into X, and under President Donald Trump, became both the reviled and admired federal-program-slashing leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025

At a time when most African Americans were still enslaved on farms and plantations in the Antebellum South, Poynor was a prolific furniture maker who was admired by white society for his skills as a craftsman. —Troy McMullen, ABC News, 13 Mar. 2025

Visitors can admire its thunderous drop from various aerial viewpoints or take a walk along the valley floor for a different perspective. —David Nikel, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Tourists will still come by the thousands to admire the monuments, even if some of the big stone buildings turn vacant, like the ruins of the Roman Forum. —Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French admirer, Latinization of amirer "to make (little or much) of," borrowed from Latin admīrārī, ammīrārī "to regard with wonder, show esteem for," from ad- ad- + mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at," derivative of mīrus, "remarkable, amazing," of uncertain origin

Note: Regarding etymology of Latin mīrus see note at smile entry 1.

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Rhymes for admire

• afire
• aspire
• backfire
• esquire
• expire
• haywire
• hellfire
• inquire
• inspire
• newswire
• perspire
• rehire

Kids Definition

admire

verb

ad·​mire əd-ˈmī(ə)r 

admired; admiring

1

: to look at with admiration

admire the scenery

2

: to have high regard for

admired her courage

admirer

-ˈmīr-ər

noun

Etymology

from early French admirer "to marvel at," from Latin admirari (same meaning), from ad- "at" and mirari "to wonder" — related to miracle