Words / B1

uhd-MEYE-uh/ədˈmaɪə/

People admire someone when they respect and like them for a quality or achievement: admire her courage; admire him for his honesty. Respect can be cooler and more about status; look up to is more informal. The pattern is admire someone for + noun / -ing. Admiration is the noun; admirable is the adjective. Do not confuse it with admit (say something is true) — a common spelling mix-up in exams.

Meaning

To respect and like someone or something very much.

Examples

• “I admire her for working so hard.”
• “Many colleagues admire him for staying calm in meetings.”
• “I have always admired the way she organises a busy team.”

Good to know

admire someone for + quality / -ing. Noun: admiration. Cooler: respect. Informal: look up to. Not admit.

Near in meaning

respect

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