inspirational
inspirational — adjective
1. describes something that lifts your spirits and strengthens your belief that goo
describes something that lifts your spirits and strengthens your belief that good things are possible — for instance, a leader's words that give you the courage to keep going when things are difficult.
Diego found the principal's speech so inspirational that he started a weekend tutoring project.
result clause: so + inspirational + that
The inspirational story of a night-shift nurse led Aiko to study medicine.
pre-modifier: inspirational story
Rohan shared an inspirational story of his uncle walking again, and his teammates trained harder.
The elderly coach gave an inspirational account of his journey from a broken leg to Olympic gold.
- inspiring
More commonly used in everyday speech; 'inspiring' focuses on the immediate emotional effect, while 'inspirational' often implies a more deliberate quality or purpose.
- uplifting
Emphasises emotional elevation and happiness; less focused on motivation or action than 'inspirational'.
- encouraging
More direct and personal; focuses on giving someone the confidence to do something specific rather than a general sense of hope.
- discouraging
Has the opposite effect of draining hope or confidence.
- demoralising
Stronger than 'discouraging'; actively lowers someone's spirit or belief in themselves.
文法句型
be + inspirational
truly / deeply / highly + inspirational
so + inspirational + that-clause
用法筆記
Common in both attributive position before nouns such as story, speech, or figure, and in predicative position after linking verbs such as be, feel, or find something. Frequently modified by intensifiers like truly, deeply, or highly. The that-clause pattern (so inspirational that + result) is especially common in spoken narrative.
常見錯誤
2. describes something that stirs fresh ideas or gives you a strong urge to create,
describes something that stirs fresh ideas or gives you a strong urge to create, particularly in areas such as painting, writing, or music — for example, a documentary that pushes a young dancer to try a completely new style.
Leila found the old photographer's album deeply inspirational and filled her sketchbook with new drawings.
collocation: deeply inspirational
The museum exhibition was so inspirational that Tomás started writing poetry again.
result clause: so + inspirational + that
Hana's inspirational lecture on architecture persuaded her classmates to reimagine their living space.
The children sat quietly before the inspirational mural, eager to create their own paintings.
- inspiring
Broader and more casual; can replace 'inspirational' in most creative contexts but lacks the specific connotation of deliberate artistic influence.
- creative
Describes the quality of being original or imaginative in a person or work; does not carry the sense of sparking creativity in others the way 'inspirational' does.
- stimulating
More intellectual than emotional; focuses on engaging the mind rather than the creative urge.
- uninspiring
Describes something that fails to spark any new ideas or creative energy.
- stifling
The opposite of freeing the imagination; describes something that suppresses or blocks creativity.
文法句型
be + inspirational + for/to + person
find + noun + (deeply) + inspirational
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense foregrounds creative or intellectual stimulation rather than emotional encouragement. The subject is typically an artwork, performance, lecture, cultural experience, or natural scene. Often found in reviews, art criticism, and educational contexts.