Admiration

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌæd.məˈɹeɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A feeling of respect and approval toward someone or something perceived as impressive or worthy
2. a state of warm regard and esteem felt toward a person or thing judged to possess qualities deserving commendation
3. the emotion of viewing someone or something with approval and high regard based on recognized excellence or merit

Etymology: Admiration began as a word for wonder rather than approval. Its Latin ancestor, "admīrātiō," came from "admīrārī," built from the prefix "ad-" ("towards") and "mīrārī" ("to wonder at" or "to look at with astonishment"). The core idea was simply being struck by something you were looking at. The word reached English through Middle English "admiracion," which was borrowed either from Middle French "admiration" or straight from Latin. Early English uses kept that sense of astonishment, so to admire something meant to be amazed by it. The shift toward esteem and approval developed over the following centuries, as admiring a thing came to mean rating it highly rather than merely gaping at it. Its sibling "admire" shows the same path, and the dialect forms "miration" and "mirate" preserve the older root more plainly in the spoken language of parts of the United States.

Synonyms: esteem, respect, regard, appreciation, approval

Antonyms: disdain, disrespect, contempt, scorn, aversion