Admired

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ədˈmaɪɹd/

Definitions

1. To regard someone or something with great respect and approval due to exceptional qualities or achievements
2. To view someone or something favorably due to outstanding characteristics or accomplishments
3. To look upon someone or something with high regard because of their notable qualities or successes

Etymology: "Admired" is the past tense and past participle of "admire", so its story is really the story of that verb. The verb arrived in Middle English from Middle French "admirer", which in turn came from Latin "admirari", built from "ad" (toward) and "mirari" (to wonder at). The Latin root carries the sense of looking at something with astonishment, and the same root gave English "miracle" and "mirror" through other routes. The earliest English sense leaned closer to wonder than to approval. To admire something was to be amazed by it, and only gradually did the word shift toward the warmer meaning of esteem that dominates today. The past form "admired" therefore carries that whole arc of meaning, from marvelling at something to holding it in high regard.

Synonyms: appreciated, esteemed, respected

Antonyms: despised, scorned