| / English Dictionary |
INSPIRATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of inhaling; the drawing in of air (or other gases) as in breathing
Synonyms:
aspiration; breathing in; inhalation; inspiration; intake
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
breath (the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inspiration"):
gasp; pant (a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open)
drag; puff; pull (a slow inhalation (as of tobacco smoke))
Holonyms ("inspiration" is a part of...):
breathing; external respiration; respiration; ventilation (the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation)
Derivation:
inspire (draw in (air))
Sense 2
Meaning:
Arousing to a particular emotion or action
Synonyms:
inspiration; stirring
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
arousal; rousing (the act of arousing)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A product of your creative thinking and work
Example:
after years of work his brainchild was a tangible reality
Synonyms:
brainchild; inspiration
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
product; production (an artifact that has been created by someone or some process)
Sense 4
Meaning:
(theology) a special influence of a divinity on the minds of human beings
Example:
they believe that the books of Scripture were written under divine guidance
Synonyms:
divine guidance; inspiration
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
cognitive factor (something immaterial (as a circumstance or influence) that contributes to producing a result)
Domain category:
divinity; theology (the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truth)
Derivation:
inspirational (imparting a divine influence on the mind and soul)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A sudden intuition as part of solving a problem
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
intuition (instinctive knowing (without the use of rational processes))
Holonyms ("inspiration" is a part of...):
problem solving (the thought processes involved in solving a problem)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("inspiration" is a kind of...):
idea; thought (the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "inspiration"):
germ; seed; source (anything that provides inspiration for later work)
mother (a condition that is the inspiration for an activity or situation)
afflatus (a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration)
Derivation:
inspire (supply the inspiration for)
Context examples:
A dose calculation unit expressed in milliliter(s) per inspiration or expiration of breath.
(Milliliter per Breath, NCI Thesaurus)
The scientists got their inspiration from nature by focusing on a protein called cytochrome P450 2E1, or 2E1 for short. 2E1 is present in all mammals, including humans.
(Common Houseplant with Genetic Modification Can Remove Polluted Air, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A new study has revealed how inspiration from owls’ wings could allow aircraft and wind turbines to become quieter.
(Owls' Wings Key to Beating Wind Turbine Noise, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Another possible inspiration Proxima b could reignite: the admittedly far-off goal of sending a probe to another solar system.
(ESO Discovers Earth-Size Planet in Habitable Zone of Nearest Star, NASA)
So many were the blots, however, and so numerous the scratches and erasures, that he had at last given it up in despair, and sat with his single uncovered eye cocked upwards at the ceiling, as one who waits upon inspiration.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
“Do you know, I am filled with a strange uplift; I feel as if all time were echoing through me, as though all powers were mine. I know truth, divine good from evil, right from wrong. My vision is clear and far. I could almost believe in God. But,” and his voice changed and the light went out of his face,—“what is this condition in which I find myself? this joy of living? this exultation of life? this inspiration, I may well call it? It is what comes when there is nothing wrong with one’s digestion, when his stomach is in trim and his appetite has an edge, and all goes well. It is the bribe for living, the champagne of the blood, the effervescence of the ferment—that makes some men think holy thoughts, and other men to see God or to create him when they cannot see him.”
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
He did not reply for a moment but looked all round him, and up and down, as though he expected to find some inspiration for an answer.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
He fell from the height where he had been up-borne all day on the wings of inspiration.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Earlier, I spoke about your home and Mercury being retrograde February 16 to March 9, so it would be best to find inspiration first.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
"Aunt March had a good fit and sent the supper," cried Jo, with a sudden inspiration.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
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