Inspiration
n.hopeful, resilientwarm
Meaning 1
A person, feeling, or idea that awakens creative effort, courage, or purpose.
Reach for it when naming the source of a positive impulse to make or act
Her grandmother's patient courage remained an inspiration throughout the long campaign.
Choose between these
5- everyday
a person's example offers behavior worth following
not when A role model is a person, while inspiration can be an event, work, or idea.
- warm
support from another person increases confidence
not when Encouragement helps someone continue but may not awaken a new purpose.
- professional
the force that sustains action is the focus
not when Motivation may come from duty or reward without inspiration.
- professional
stimulus
a specific input prompts thought or activity
not when Stimulus is neutral and clinical beside the emotional lift of inspiration.
- literary
a person or presence stimulates artistic creation
not when Muse risks objectifying a person and cannot cover civic courage.
Meaning 2
A welcome idea that arrives with unusual clarity or freshness.
Reach for it when describing the idea behind a creative or practical solution
The roof's folding pattern came from a moment of inspiration on the train.
Choose between these
3- playful
a sudden clever solution suits an informal tone
not when Brainwave sounds light and British for solemn or artistic inspiration.
- everyday
idea
the practical content matters more than how it arrived
not when Idea loses the sense of energizing discovery.
- literary
revelation
the idea feels newly disclosed and transformative
not when Revelation overstates a useful but ordinary creative thought.
Said against
3- discouragement
- deterrent
- stagnation
It naturally appears in
3- source of inspiration
The restored wetland became a source of inspiration for local painters.
- flash of inspiration
A flash of inspiration solved the awkward hinge problem.
- draw inspiration
Young architects draw inspiration from the market's shaded passages.
Where this comes from
- Merriam-Webster, noun sense 1a: a divine or other influence that inspires opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- Merriam-Webster, noun sense 1b: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.