admiration

Meanings

1. 1noununcountableapproving

   A warm feeling of respect and approval for someone because of what they are or what they have done.

   Grammar: Often followed by for: admiration for her courage.

   Patterns

   • admiration for someone
   • in admiration of someone
   • with admiration

   I have deep admiration for nurses who work night shifts.

   He looked at the painting with admiration.

   She earned the admiration of her classmates.

2. 2nounsingularold-fashioned

   A person or thing that others look at with this kind of respect.

   Grammar: Fixed in the phrase the admiration of: the admiration of all.

   Patterns

   • the admiration of the town

   Her garden was the admiration of the whole street.

   The ship was the admiration of every visitor.

   He became the admiration of his peers.

Common combinations

deep admiration

She spoke with deep admiration about her coach.

genuine admiration

He expressed genuine admiration for their work.

win admiration

Her calm under pressure won admiration.

gaze in admiration

They gazed in admiration at the mountain.

admiration for

I feel admiration for people who learn new languages as adults.

Synonyms and how they differ

respect

Respect can be given out of duty, while admiration includes warm approval and enjoyment.

esteem

Esteem is formal and suggests lasting high regard, whereas admiration can be sudden.

awe

Awe includes wonder or fear, while admiration is warmer and calmer.

appreciation

Appreciation is gratitude or understanding of value, but admiration focuses on praising a person or quality.

Opposites

Word family

admire verb

to respect and approve of

admirable adjective

deserving respect

admirably adverb

in a way that deserves praise

admirer noun

a person who admires someone

Commonly confused: admiration or envy? admiration or adoration?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “admiration”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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