Word family noun admiration admirer adjective admirable admired admiring verb admire adverb admirably admiringly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishadmiread‧mire /ədˈmaɪə $ -ˈmaɪr/ ●●● S3 verb [transitive] 1 ADMIREto respect and like someone because they have done something that you think is good, or to respect their qualities or skills I really admire the way she brings up those kids all on her own.admire somebody for (doing) something Lewis was much admired for his work on medieval literature.2 GOOD/EXCELLENTto look at something and think how beautiful or impressive it is We stopped halfway to admire the view. Sal stood back to admire her work.3 → admire somebody from afarGRAMMAR: Using the progressive• Admire is not used in the progressive in meaning 1. You say: I admire him for his courage (=I respect and like him). ✗Don’t say: I am admiring him. • Admire is often used in the progressive in meaning 2. You say: He was admiring himself in the mirror (=he was looking at himself). You can also say: He admired himself in the mirror.THESAURUSadmire to like someone because they have achieved something special, or they have skills or qualities that you would like to haveI admire your courage.She admired him for the way he dealt with the situation. respect to have a good opinion of someone, even if you do not agree with them, for example because they have achieved a lot or have high standardsShe is respected by all her colleagues at the university.She’s an actor who is not prepared to compromise, and her audience loves and respects her for that.revere /rɪˈvɪə $ -ˈvɪr/ formal to greatly admire someone because of their achievements and personal qualities, especially someone famousMandela is revered as one of the great leaders of our time.look up to somebody to admire someone who is older or who has more experience than youAll the young comedians look up to him.think highly of somebody to think that someone is good at what they doHis teachers seem to think very highly of him.idolize to admire someone so much that you think they are perfect – used especially about famous people or people in your familyHe idolized his brother.Jane grew up idolizing Princess Diana.hero-worship to admire someone a lot and want to be like them – often used when this seems unreasonable or extremeShe hero-worshipped John to such an extent that she was blind to his faults. → See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
admire• I was just admiring your lovely garden.• Morrow's new production of 'The Nutcracker' has been greatly admired.• Old-fashioned amateurs used to admire colours with a golden glow, which conservators have demonstrated were the effect of discoloured varnish.• Rollins is most admired for her poetry, but she also writes fiction.• People admired her for her beauty and intelligence.• Prince Charles admired her sense of style and colour and left the burden of decoration to her.• I admired him as the ultimate in dandyism.• Corbin is a superb musician. I really admire him.• What I admire most about Lee is his patience.• But a chief from Puna who had greatly admired Naihe's surfing ability sent a servant to wake the sleeping chanter.• Who can fail to admire such immense success?• I greatly admire the former San Francisco mayor and legislator.• We stopped at the top of the mountain to admire the view.• We stopped halfway up the hill to admire the view.• I admire the way Sarah has brought up the children on her own.admire the way• I especially admired the way he challenged, and overcame, convention.• I also admired the way he could peel an apple with the skin in one piece, coiled like a spring.• I must admit I admired the way he didn't even flinch when Richie took his first swing of the day.• I admire the way he has virtually renounced ancestral claims to deification.• Dexter admired the way in which his boss disguised who she was really interested in.• I admired the way perfume comes in so many shapes.• He had to admire the way she read.• I admired the way you rescued him.admire the view• How most people prefer to be actively involved in sailing the boat rather than just sitting and admiring the view.• They stood on the veranda and admired the view and praised what Oliver had been able to do with the old cottage.• Or you could simply admire the view of the desert.Origin admire (1500-1600) French admirer, from Latin admirari, from ad- “to” + mirari “to wonder” 