ENGLISH
REFERENCE

inspirational

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɪnspɝˈeɪʃənəɫ// UK //ˌɪnspəɹˈeɪʃənəl// in·spi·ra·tional

adj. making you feel full of hope or giving you the energy to do something great. You use this to describe people or stories that encourage you to improve yourself.

adj. providing or intended to provide motivation or creative stimulus. Often used to describe rhetoric, leadership, or personal narratives that encourage self-improvement or social change.


SIMPLE

Her speech about overcoming failure was truly inspirational.

CONTEXTUAL

The coach gave an inspirational talk in the locker room that changed the team's mindset for the second half.

COMPLEX

While many find the CEO's rags-to-riches story deeply inspirational, critics argue that such narratives often oversimplify the systemic barriers that prevent others from achieving similar levels of success.

Origin

From inspiration + -al.

Usage

Typically precedes the noun it modifies or follows a linking verb like 'be' or 'find'.

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