Admires

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To hold a positive regard for someone or something while appreciating their qualities and showing respect for what they represent
2. To view someone or something with high regard and esteem, displaying admiration and a sense of approval
3. To regard someone or something with deep respect and positive feelings

Etymology: "Admires" is the third-person singular present form of "admire," so its history is that of the verb itself. The root sense is strikingly literal: Latin "admirari" meant to wonder at or marvel at something, built from "ad" (toward) and "mirari" (to wonder, to gaze in astonishment). Its relatives include "miracle" and "mirror," tracing back to that same idea of looking at something with amazement. The word reached English through Middle French "admirer," which kept the sense of wondering at something. Middle English "admyren" carried that meaning of marvelling, and only over time did the verb drift toward the warmer sense of esteem that "admires" carries today, where you respect and like someone rather than simply staring in wonder.

Synonyms: appreciates, esteems, respects, adulates, idolizes

Antonyms: disdains, despises, scorns