inspirational
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.making you feel full of hope or giving you the energy to do something great.
adj.providing or showing creative or spiritual inspiration; having the quality of motivating others toward positive action or thought.
Simple“The coach gave an inspirational speech that made the team believe they could win.”
In context“Her journey from a small village to a world-renowned scientist is truly inspirational for young students everywhere.”
UsageOften used to describe speeches, leaders, or life stories.
SynonymsAntonymsdepressinguninspiring - 02 C2 Proficiency
n.a book, article, or video that is made to make people feel positive and motivated.
n.a work of literature or media specifically intended to provide spiritual or emotional encouragement.
Simple“She spends her mornings reading inspirationals to start the day with a positive mind.”
In context“The library maintains a separate section for inspirationals, ranging from religious texts to modern motivational essays.”
Teacher's tipThe noun form is much less common than the adjective; learners should focus on the adjective use first.
Synonymsself helpdevotional
“My mother, Sheila Cross, who has died aged 82 from cancer, was an inspirational university careers adviser, while also working as a social studies tutor at the Open University (OU) for 36 years.”
“It’s true that there are diverse modern works by inspirational women on the lists of the four exam boards – Kit de Waal, Tanika Gupta, Jeanette Winterson, Malorie Blackman are all offered.”
From inspiration + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.