inspiration

noun in·spi·ra·tion \ ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shən , -(ˌ)spi- \

Updated on: 8 Nov 2017

Definition of inspiration

1 a :a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation

b :the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions

c :the act of influencing or suggesting opinions

2 :the act of drawing in; specifically :the drawing of air into the lungs

3 a :the quality or state of being inspired

b :something that is inspired

a scheme that was pure inspiration

4 :an inspiring agent or influence

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inspirational

play \ˌin(t)-spə-ˈrā-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl, -(ˌ)spi-\ adjective

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inspirationally

adverb

See inspiration defined for English-language learners

See inspiration defined for kids

Examples of inspiration in a Sentence

Where does the inspiration for your art come from?
His paintings take their inspiration from nature.
She had a sudden inspiration. They would have the party outdoors!
Deciding to have the party outdoors was sheer inspiration.

Recent Examples of inspiration from the Web

His flash of inspiration came a few years back while rebuilding his backyard deck.

— tim loh, Bloomberg.com, "Coal Seeks New Life as Carbon Fiber for Submarines," 14 Sep. 2017
Jamillah Ali Joyce, one of Muhammad Ali's daughters, said the awards in her father's memory are a source of inspiration.

— darcy costello, The Courier-Journal, "Charlottesville victim's mother at Muhammad Ali awards: 'Be moved into positive action'," 23 Sep. 2017
The performers, famous for their quick-witted spontaneity and mold-breaking audacity, occasionally read quotations from pieces of paper taped to the church’s pillars — potential buoys in an improvisational ocean with few breezes of inspiration.

— brian seibert, New York Times, "Review: Three Dance Legends Walk Into a Church …," 30 Oct. 2017
The talent on display may indeed be inspiring, but the inspiration contains a large dose of admiration for the courage and grit of the performer rather than for the talent itself.

— michael kinsley, The Hive, "What the Trump Administration Could Learn from America’s Got Talent," 7 Oct. 2017
Don't forget to pin these ideas for later and follow Redbook on Pinterest for more inspiration!

— jen jones, Redbook, "How to Keep Your Car Organized — For Good," 17 Aug. 2017
The sports world offers a constant stream of inspiration for fashion houses.

— christine flammia, Esquire, "These New Wallabees Get Their Inspiration From an Unexpected Source," 13 Oct. 2017
In fact, as the Nobel committee emphasised TCM provided only the inspiration for the research that led to her award.

— The Economist, "State-sponsored quackeryChina is ramping up its promotion of its ancient medical arts," 31 Aug. 2017
Each year, the Keller varsity volleyball team chooses a source of inspiration.

— shawn smajstrla, star-telegram, "What Keller volleyball did for a young fan with cancer | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 10 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inspiration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Inspirational History of inspiration

Inspiration has an unusual history in that its figurative sense appears to predate its literal one. It comes from the Latin inspiratus (the past participle of inspirare, “to breathe into, inspire”) and in English has had the meaning “the drawing of air into the lungs” since the middle of the 16th century. This breathing sense is still in common use among doctors, as is expiration (“the act or process of releasing air from the lungs”). However, before inspiration was used to refer to breath it had a distinctly theological meaning in English, referring to a divine influence upon a person, from a divine entity; this sense dates back to the early 14th century. The sense of inspiration often found today (“someone or something that inspires”) is considerably newer than either of these two senses, dating from the 19th century.

First Known Use of inspiration

14th century

INSPIRATION Defined for English Language Learners

inspiration

noun

Definition of inspiration for English Language Learners

: something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone
: a person, place, experience, etc., that makes someone want to do or create something
: a good idea