admire
[verb]
Synonyms:
- respect, appreciate, approve, esteem, look up to, praise, prize, think highly of, value
- marvel at, appreciate, delight in, take pleasure in, wonder at

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Antonyms: disdain, abhor
Contrasted words: disesteem, disfavor, dislike, disrelish, mislike, abominate, detest, hate, loathe, contemn, despise, disdain, scorn
Related Idioms: go into raptures over, take delight in, have (or hold) a high opinion of, rate highly, set (great) store by, think much (or highly) of
Related Words: adore, revere, reverence, venerate, worship, appreciate, cherish, prize, treasure, value

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English Thesaurus: admire, respect, revere, look up to somebody, think highly of somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ad‧mire S3 /ədˈmaɪə $ -ˈmaɪr/ verb [transitive not in progressive]
[Word Family: adjective: admirable, ADMIRED, admiring; noun: admiration, admirer; adverb: admirably, admiringly; verb: admire]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: admirer, from Latin admirari, from ad- 'to' + mirari 'to wonder']

1. to respect and like someone because they have done something that you think is good:
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. to 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 afar literary to be attracted to someone, without letting them know

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

admire
verb
I. have high opinion of sb/sth
ADV. deeply, enormously, greatly, hugely, particularly, really He admires you enormously.
rather | clearly, openly | secretly She secretly admired and envied him.
VERB + ADMIRE have to You have to admire their dedication and commitment.
PREP. about What do you most admire about her?
for I rather admire him for his determination.
PHRASES be generally/widely admired He is widely admired as a journalist.
can't/couldn't help admiring/but admire I couldn't help but admire his determination.
you can only admire sb/sth You can only admire her courage and determination.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

admire
II. look at sth attractive
VERB + ADMIRE pause to, stop to | stand/step back to He stood back to admire his handiwork.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

admire
verb
1.
BAD: One hour is not long enough to admire all the exhibits.
GOOD: One hour is not long enough to see all the exhibits.
BAD: I enjoyed admiring all the old buildings.
GOOD: I enjoyed looking at all the old buildings.

Usage Note:
Do not use admire when you just mean 'see' or 'look at'. Admire means 'look at someone or something with a strong feeling of pleasure'. This meaning of admire is found mainly in novels and tourist brochures: 'Come and admire the magnificence of the Niagara Falls.' 'Rupert was sitting outside on the verandah, admiring the many jewels in the night sky.'

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2.
BAD: Although it was a sad film, I admired it very much.
GOOD: Although it was a sad film, I enjoyed it very much.
BAD: Everybody admired your talk because it was lively and interesting.
GOOD: Everybody enjoyed your talk because it was lively and interesting.

Usage Note:
Do not use admire when you mean 'enjoy'. Admire means 'have a very high opinion of someone': 'I've always admired people who think for themselves.' 'Lewis was probably best known and admired for his work on medieval literature.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

admire to like someone because they have achieved something special, or they have skills or qualities that you would like to have:
I 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 standards:
She 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 famous:
Mandela 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 you:
All the young comedians look up to him.
think highly of somebody to think that someone is good at what they do:
His 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 family:
He 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 extreme:
She hero-worshipped John to such an extent that she was blind to his faults.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲