as in inspiring
causing people to want to do or create something; giving inspiration
an inspirational speaker Her courage is inspirational.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inspirational
Players wore several different versions of tributes to their late teammates, including towels and helmet stickers with the players’ jersey numbers on them, while parents wore clothes with inspirational messages on them in memory of the three teenagers.
—
Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Poised, authentic and inspirational, Gauff is also a guiding light for young women.
—Katie Abel, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The event will feature inspirational stories about people’s triumphs over homelessness.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Their actions are both inspirational and worthy of recognition.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Redwine and the film crew were careful to walk the line between inspirational and tragic — not zeroing in on challenges of living with a disability but not glossing over them, either.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
Jones returned to Instagram on Thursday night with an inspirational quote that was part of a meme.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025
Sitting next to him at his table were the producers of Song Sung Blue, John Davis and John Fox, both clearly excited for the prospects of having a crowd-pleasing kind of inspirational movie coming for the holiday season.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Poised, authentic and inspirational, Gauff is also a guiding light for young women.
—Katie Abel, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2025
The event will feature inspirational stories about people’s triumphs over homelessness.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2025
The advertisements continued to feature beautiful, sexualized women — sometimes a bit of a confusing choice for a website and marketing services company — until 2013 when GoDaddy started to transition away from a strategy of scandalizing and toward a more inspirational and sophisticated approach.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
Their actions are both inspirational and worthy of recognition.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Redwine and the film crew were careful to walk the line between inspirational and tragic — not zeroing in on challenges of living with a disability but not glossing over them, either.
—Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025
Jones returned to Instagram on Thursday night with an inspirational quote that was part of a meme.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025
Sitting next to him at his table were the producers of Song Sung Blue, John Davis and John Fox, both clearly excited for the prospects of having a crowd-pleasing kind of inspirational movie coming for the holiday season.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inspirational
Adjective
-
My role is to ensure bringing our ambitious vision to life, which is to be an international luxury brand builder, bridging cultures and inspiring dreams.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
21 Oct. 2025
-
From the red carpet to the runway, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s logos have turned into status symbols, inspiring designers, brands and fans around the world.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
This was an impressive tournament that will have surely turned heads.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The most popular ghost story of this cemetery is that of Rufina Cambaceres, a 19-year-old girl who was laid to rest in 1902 in an impressive art nouveau mausoleum.—
Sophie Friedman,
AFAR Media,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Watching these flux ropes in the simulation form so quickly and move toward Earth was exciting, but concerning.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024, Luis Perales had broken out as one of the Red Sox’s most exciting minor league pitchers.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Sabrina Carpenter leaned into her provocative image while pulling double duty as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Her poetry carries it all—the metaphysical, the flirtatious, the unsettling, the provocative— all in such miniscule space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Carpenter also starred in sketches throughout the evening as a 12-year-old boy podcast host, a girlboss motivational speaker who suffers a head injury, and a singing washing machine.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Early in the segment, Carpenter’s character, Queen Lisha—who paired motivational speeches with upbeat choreography—suffered a concussion after her backup dancers threw her a touch too hard into a window.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
19 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Inspirational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inspirational. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share