Inspiration meaning of the word

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English inspiracioun, from Old French inspiration, from Late Latin īnspīrātiōnem (nominative: īnspīrātiō), from Latin īnspīrātus (past participle of inspīrō).
Morphologically inspire +‎ -ation. Displaced native Old English onbryrdnes (literally “in-pricked-ness”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˌɪnspəˈɹeɪʃən/
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun[edit]

inspiration (countable and uncountable, plural inspirations)

1. (physiology, uncountable) The drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of respiration.

   • 1857, M. Hall [junior] editor, Prone and postival respiration in drowning and other forms of apricea, or suspended respiration:

     The respiratory movements are no longer normal and rhythmic acts of inspiration and exspiration, but abnormal and irregular expiratory movements

   • 2008, G Berghs, “Stage fright in singers: Three reaction types”, in Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica:

     If a reaction involves increased muscle tonus and too much inspiration, muscle relaxation and exhalation exercises might be of use.

2. (countable) A breath, a single inhalation.
   • 1826, John Bostock, An Elementary System of Physiology, p. 220:

     Laughing is produced by an inspiration succeeded by a succession of short imperfect expirations.

   • 1838, Thomas Hodgkin, Dr. Fisher, On the influence of physical agents on life, translation of original by William Frédéric Edwards, Pouillet (Claude Servais Mathias, M.), Luke Howard:

     One of them had a temperature of 40° cent. 104° Fahr. and 97 inspirations per minute.

   • 2013, A Kose, C Yildirim, B Kose, N Gunay, …, “Can agricultural drugs be used against lice? Accident, suicide or truth? Case presentations”, in Eastern Journal of Medicine:

     On physical examination, blood pressure was 145/70 mm Hg, pulse was 108 beats per minute, respiratory rate was 36 inspirations per minute, body temperature was 38 ºC and her oxygen saturation (during nasal oxygen intake) was 93%.

3. A supernatural divine influence on the prophets, apostles, or sacred writers, by which they were qualified to communicate moral or religious truth with authority; a supernatural influence which qualifies people to receive and communicate divine truth; also, the truth communicated.
   • 1688, Jacques Bénigne Bossuet, The History of the Variations of the Protestant Churches Vol.2 (1829 translation), p. 355:

     The question, therefore, at issue is, not whether those external means be sufficient without grace and divine inspiration, for none pretends that»: but, in order to hinder men from feigning or imagining an inspiration, whether it has not been God’s economy, and his usual conduct to make his inspiration walk hand in hand with certain means of fact, which men can neither feign in the air without being convicted of falsehood, nor imagine without illusion.

   • 1971, Peter Brown, The World of Late Antiquity: AD 150—750, Thames & Hudson LTD, published 2013, →ISBN, page 54:

     The more strongly people felt about their ideas, the more potent the demons seemed to them: Christians believed that traditional paganism, far from being the work of men, was an ‘opium of the masses’, pumped into the human race by the non-human demons; and one scholar even ascribed bad reviews of his book to demonic inspiration!

4. The act of an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity.

   She was waiting for inspiration to write a book.

   Usage notes: In this sense, it may be followed by the adposition to in relation to the person being influenced, and for or to in relation to the idea or activity:

   • 1865, George Duffield, The Nation’s Wail, p. 6:

     We caught the inspiration of his joy; and imagination painted a glorious future near at hand for our land, quickly to develop itself under the guidance of his fostering wisdom, and fraternal counsels and care.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 51:

     “Well,” I answered, at first with uncertainty, then with inspiration, “he would do splendidly to lead your cotillon, if you think of having one.” ¶ “So you do not dance, Mr. Crocker?” ¶ I was somewhat set back by her perspicuity.

   • 1998, David Allen Brown, Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius, p. 25:

     All this suggests that Andrea may, like the authors of the devotional panel, the fresco, and the print – and like Leonardo, as we shall see – have found his inspiration in Pollaiuolo.

   • 2002, Sven Rasegård, Man and Science: A Web of Systems and Social Conventions, p. 2:

     And now it is time for problem solving which, if successful, will create new ideas serving as an inspiration source for future research objects of the researcher in question as well as other researchers within the same field.

   • 2013, Phil McNulty, «Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd», BBC Sport, 1 September 2013:

     As for United, this was a performance lacking in inspiration, purpose and threat and once again underlined the urgency for transfer business to be done in the closing hours of the transfer window.

5. A person, object, or situation which quickens or stimulates an influence upon the intellect, emotions or creativity.

   The trip was an inspiration to her for writing a book.

   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 208–209:

     She had grown accustomed to look upon Ethel as Walter’s passion and inspiration: it was something far off and distant, which even she felt was sacred; but Lady Marchmont was a new rival, and come too actual, and too near.

   • 2008 April 5, George W. Bush, Presidential Radio Address:

     The people of Ukraine and Georgia are an inspiration to the world, and I was pleased that this week NATO declared that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO.

6. A new idea, especially one which arises suddenly and is clever or creative.
   • 1916, Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton, Mrs. Balfame, ch. 15:

     Mrs. Balfame had an inspiration. «My God!» she exclaimed, springing to her feet, «the murderer . . . was hidden in the cellar or attic all night, all the next day! He may be here yet!»

   • 2007 July 1, Sylviane Gold, «Scenery Chewer Plays It Straight, Methodically,» New York Times (retrieved 3 Sept. 2013):

     [H]e accompanied her to a rehearsal of a skit satirizing “Casablanca,” and the director had an inspiration: Wouldn’t it be a laugh to cast a 10-year-old as Rick?

Synonyms[edit]

• (physiology): inhalation
• (stimulation of creativity or intellect): spark, flash, eureka

Antonyms[edit]

• (physiology): expiration

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• inspire

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• Muse
• Pierian spring

References[edit]

• inspiration in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French inspiration, borrowed from Late Latin īnspīrātiōnem (nominative: īnspīrātiō), from Latin īnspīrātus (past participle of inspīrō).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃s.pi.ʁa.sjɔ̃/

Noun[edit]

inspiration f (plural inspirations)

1. inspiration (instance of breathing in)
2. inspiration (divine intervention)
3. inspiration (something which brings about creativity or perseverance)

See also[edit]

• inspirer

Further reading[edit]

• “inspiration”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative: inspiratio), from Latin inspiratus (past participle of inspīrō).

Noun[edit]

inspiration f (oblique plural inspirations, nominative singular inspiration, nominative plural inspirations)

1. inspiration (act of breathing in)
2. inspiration (something which inspires)

Descendants[edit]

• → English: inspiration
• French: inspiration

References[edit]

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (inspiracion)

Inspiration can sometimes seem to be entirely out of our control. You can’t command your brain to come up with a great idea or an ideal solution to a problem, just as much as you can’t simply decide to feel creative one afternoon.

Feeling inspired in life and at work is an important part of sustaining motivation, and a lack of inspiration might be a clue that something else is going wrong. But while inspiration might be elusive at times, there are still plenty of strategies we can use to encourage it to strike more often. 

Having an inspiring office space that’s been designed around your needs is just one way. WeWork provides beautifully designed workplace solutions built with flexibility in mind and designed to encourage creativity and innovation, in locations around the world.

For even more flexibility, WeWork All Access and WeWork On Demand lets you and your team access workspaces and meeting rooms in hundreds of locations across multiple cities, allowing everyone to do their best work wherever they are.

Let’s take a closer look at the concept of inspiration, where it comes from, and how it can benefit people in their daily lives. We’ll also share a few of our favorite inspirational quotes. But first, let’s try to define the word itself.

What is the definition of inspiration?

Inspiration can mean a few different things. It can describe the process of being overcome by a spontaneous urge to do something creative or important—that eureka moment when the way forward becomes suddenly obvious to you. Or it can describe the act of imparting that motivation to somebody else through your words and actions.

Coming from the Latin inspirare, meaning “to breathe into,” the word inspiration was originally used in a divine context to mean a kind of mystical animating force, a profound idea or truth revealed to an unsuspecting person. This is why inspiration is often said to “strike” out of nowhere, as though the feeling itself were a bolt of lightning from a heavenly muse. 

But inspiration can also refer to the source of these new ideas, an intangible well of potent creativity that we can tap into with a little practice. This is the type of inspiration you can set out to find, rather than waiting for it to pop into your head as you’re lying awake in bed at 3 a.m.

Benefits of inspiration

Though research into the psychology of inspiration is relatively thin, most agree that inspiration is not a supernatural force. In everyday usage, “inspiration” is a broad label we apply to any number of unrelated mental processes. And far from anything as mysterious as divine intervention, the sensation of being inspired is generally understood to come from somewhere within ourselves. 

The benefits of inspiration, however, are well understood by most people. Feeling inspired in your day-to-day life can play a key role in unlocking creativity, increasing productivity, and boosting happiness. People who regularly feel inspired at home and at work tend to be more engaged, more confident, and more motivated to solve problems and create new things.

Why is inspiration so important in life and work?

The peculiar feeling of being suddenly inspired by a new idea can seem random and unpredictable. But a sense of inspiration has been theorized to be the result of our minds processing new information in the context of things we already know, a lot like discovering a single jigsaw piece that connects two completed parts of a picture. 

That means it’s possible to encourage inspiration through your intentional actions, rather than waiting around for it to happen spontaneously. For example, learning more about subjects unrelated to your area of expertise, while maintaining a curious attitude and an open mind, can help you increase the chances of recognizing patterns and links between seemingly disconnected concepts.

This happens to be why the notion of sudden inspiration is a persistent theme in popular mathematics. Mythologized discoveries don’t appear out of nowhere, but nearly always stem from brilliant minds connecting two disparate branches of math in previously inconceivable ways. To quote G.H. Hardy in A Mathematician’s Apology: “A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.”

No matter which field you are in, inspiration can kickstart our inherent ability to visualize a tricky problem from a novel perspective, or to think outside the box. The more flexible your style of thinking, the more receptive you are to inspiration and the better equipped you’ll be to counter unexpected problems with innovative solutions.

How to help yourself get inspired

• Listen to music. When you’re focusing too hard on a problem or dilemma, it’s easy to fall into a repetitive mental routine of running through a list of the same potential solutions over and over again, and realizing that none of them will work. As a tool, the right music can help your mind disengage from these unhelpful loops and spot new ideas you might have otherwise overlooked.
• Read a book. Literature is the most valuable source of knowledge we have, but as well as being stores of information, great books can also prompt us to think about situations from the perspective of another person or culture. The simple act of approaching a narrative from another angle is a form of empathetic thinking that can trigger moments of inspiration.
• Get physical activity. Some studies have found that healthy and happy people experience inspiration more readily than those who feel anxious or stressed. Exercise is known to improve physical and mental health, and in addition to offering some space to clear your mind and process your thoughts, physical activity can help trigger the creative process.
• Speak to people. Open-mindedness, honesty, and a willingness to share and listen to new perspectives can all play an important role when seeking out inspiration. Studies into where ideas come from have suggested that new ideas can be influenced by our social environments. That is to say, new ideas might be our subconscious minds remixing our friends’ ideas into something new, so strike up a conversation.
• Watch a movie. Whether it’s an epic that leaves you feeling overwhelmed by the weight of your own emotional response, or it’s just Bridesmaids for the seventh time, watching a movie can place you in a focused state of mind and act as a starting point for the creative process.

Inspirational quotes

The best inspirational quotes are short nuggets of wisdom that inspire you to think about the world or yourself in a new way. Here are a few of our favorites:

“​​You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” —Maya Angelou

“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” —Coco Chanel

“The grass is greener where you water it.” —Neil Barringham

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” —Kurt Vonnegut

“If you don’t turn your life into a story, you just become a part of someone else’s story.” —Terry Pratchett

“When money, rather than innovation or value, is your competitive advantage, that’s when things get boring and stagnant, and monopolies take root.” —Hank Green

Steve Hogarty is a writer and journalist based in London. He is the travel editor of City AM newspaper and the deputy editor of City AM Magazine, where his work focuses on technology, travel, and entertainment.

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I was staying at the Konchucos Tambo lodge, next to the Huascaran national park, near Chavin. Sitting here on its veranda, I was beginning to see where all those Latin American magical realists get their inspiration from: they don’t need to make anything up; they just write down what’s around them.

Mark Barrowcliffe

PRONUNCIATION OF INSPIRATION

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF INSPIRATION

Inspiration is a noun.

WHAT DOES INSPIRATION MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of inspiration in the English dictionary

The first definition of inspiration in the dictionary is stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity. Other definition of inspiration is the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused. Inspiration is also someone or something that causes this state.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH INSPIRATION

SYNONYMS OF «INSPIRATION»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «inspiration» and belong to the same grammatical category.

TRANSLATION OF INSPIRATION

Find out the translation of inspiration to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «INSPIRATION»

The term «inspiration» is very widely used and occupies the 3.763 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of inspiration

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «INSPIRATION» OVER TIME

10 QUOTES WITH «INSPIRATION»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word inspiration.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «INSPIRATION»

Discover the use of inspiration in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to inspiration and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «INSPIRATION»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term inspiration is used in the context of the following news items.

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Inspiration [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/inspiration>. Apr 2023 ».

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

in·spi·ra·tion

 (ĭn′spə-rā′shən)

n.

1.

a. The excitement of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity: a singer who found her inspiration in popular songs of the 1920s.

b. The condition of being so excited: sat down to write in a sudden burst of inspiration.

c. The quality of being so excited, as manifested in something: a painting full of inspiration.

2. A person or thing that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention: Gandhi has been an inspiration to political reformers for decades.

3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired: had an inspiration and saw a way to solve the problem.

4. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on a human mind or soul.

5. The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inspiration

(ˌɪnspɪˈreɪʃən)

n

1. stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity

2. the state or quality of being so stimulated or aroused

3. someone or something that causes this state

4. an idea or action resulting from such a state

5. (Physiology) the act or process of inhaling; breathing in

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•spi•ra•tion

(ˌɪn spəˈreɪ ʃən)

n.

1. an inspiring or animating action or influence.

2. something inspired, as an idea.

3. a result of inspired activity.

4. a thing or person that inspires.

5. Theol. a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.

6. the drawing of air into the lungs; inhalation.

7. the act of inspiring.

8. the quality or state of being inspired.

[1275–1325; Middle English < Late Latin inspīrātiō. See inspire, -tion]

in`spi•ra′tion•al, adj.

in`spi•ra′tion•al•ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	inspiration — arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity idea, thought — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about; «it was not a good idea»; «the thought never entered my mind» germ, source, seed — anything that provides inspiration for later work mother — a condition that is the inspiration for an activity or situation; «necessity is the mother of invention» afflatus — a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration; «divine afflatus»
	2.	inspiration — a product of your creative thinking and work; «he had little respect for the inspirations of other artists»; «after years of work his brainchild was a tangible reality» brainchild product, production — an artifact that has been created by someone or some process; «they improve their product every year»; «they export most of their agricultural production»
	3.	inspiration — a sudden intuition as part of solving a problem intuition — instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes) problem solving — the thought processes involved in solving a problem
	4.	inspiration — (theology) a special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings; «they believe that the books of Scripture were written under divine guidance» divine guidance cognitive factor — something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result theology, divinity — the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truth
	5.	inspiration — arousing to a particular emotion or action stirring arousal, rousing — the act of arousing; «the purpose of art is the arousal of emotions»
	6.	inspiration — the act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing breathing in, inhalation, intake, aspiration breathing, external respiration, respiration, ventilation — the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation breath — the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing; «he took a deep breath and dived into the pool»; «he was fighting to his last breath» gasp, pant — a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open; «she gave a gasp and fainted» drag, pull, puff — a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke); «he took a puff on his pipe»; «he took a drag on his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly»

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

inspiration

noun

1. imagination, creativity, ingenuity, talent, insight, genius, productivity, fertility, stimulation, originality, inventiveness, cleverness, fecundity, imaginativeness A good way of getting inspiration is by looking at others’ work.

2. motivation, example, influence, model, boost, spur, incentive, revelation, encouragement, stimulus, catalyst, stimulation, inducement, incitement, instigation, afflatus She was very impressive and a great inspiration to all.
motivation deterrent, disenchantment, discouragement

4. bright idea, revelation, brainwave (informal) She had an inspiration. ‘Let’s make a tunnel from hardboard’.

Quotations
«When you do not know what you are doing and what you are doing is the best — that is inspiration» [Robert Bresson Notes on the Cinematographer]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

inspiration

noun

2. Liveliness and vivacity of imagination:

3. Something that encourages:

4. A sudden exciting thought:

5. Divine guidance and motivation imparted directly:

6. The act of breathing in:

The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

إلْهام، وَحْي

inspiracenádech

inspiration

ihletlelkesítés

innblástur

inšpirácia

navdih

Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

inspiration

[ˌɪnspɪˈreɪʃ^ən] n

(person or thing that inspires) → inspiration f
to be an inspiration to sb → être une inspiration pour qn
She is an inspiration to us all → Elle est une inspiration pour nous tous.
the inspiration behind sth → l’inspiration derrière qch
to be the inspiration for sth → être l’inspiration derrière qch
India’s myths are the inspiration for her books → Les mythes de l’Inde sont l’inspiration derrière ses livres.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

inspiration

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

inspiration

[ˌɪnspɪˈreɪʃ/ən] n → ispirazione f
to have a sudden inspiration → avere un lampo di genio
to be an inspiration to sb → ispirare qn, essere una fonte d’ispirazione per qn
you’ve been an inspiration to us all → sei stato di esempio per tutti noi

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

inspire

(inˈspaiə) verb

1. to encourage by filling with eg confidence, enthusiasm etc. The players were inspired by the loyalty of their supporters and played better football than ever before.

2. to be the origin or source of a poetic or artistic idea. An incident in his childhood inspired the poem.

inspiration (inspəˈreiʃən) noun

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

in·spi·ra·tion

n. inspiración.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012