What does admirable mean?
Admirable is an adjective used to describe people, actions, or things that deserve admiration — that is, respect and approval for their excellence, skill, or moral worth. A person who stays calm under pressure, admits a mistake honestly, or works tirelessly for others may be called admirable, as may an impressive performance or a well-executed piece of work. The word carries a positive but measured connotation: it suggests genuine praise, often of a thoughtful or slightly formal kind, rather than gushing enthusiasm. It appears frequently in evaluative contexts such as reviews, tributes, and moral commentary, and commonly pairs with nouns like effort, patience, courage, and restraint. Derived forms include the adverb admirably and the noun admiration. Admirable entered English from French in the late sixteenth century and ultimately traces back to the Latin verb mirare, meaning to wonder at, which also gives us miracle and marvel. Its enduring usefulness lies in its precision: it names not just goodness, but goodness that compels our respect.
adjectiveDeserving respect, approval, or admiration because of being excellent, skillful, or morally praiseworthy.
- Deserving admiration or approval, especially for moral worth or courage (e.g. admirable patience).
- Excellent or of very high quality; impressive in skill or execution (e.g. an admirable performance).
"Her calm handling of the crisis was admirable."
"It was admirable of him to admit his mistake so openly."
"The team showed admirable discipline throughout the tournament."
Admirable comes from Latin 'mirari' — to wonder — making it a cousin of 'miracle' and 'marvel': something admirable literally makes you marvel.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of admirable
Admirable entered English in the late sixteenth century, borrowed from French admirable, which derived from Latin admirabilis, meaning worthy of wonder. The root is the Latin verb mirari, to wonder at or be astonished by, formed from mirus, meaning wonderful or astonishing. This same root produced English admire and admiration, as well as more distant relatives such as miracle and marvel, all sharing the core idea of wonder.
Related word forms
How admirable is actually used
Admirable is a positive, somewhat formal word common in both speech and writing. It often carries a tone of measured praise rather than effusive enthusiasm, and is frequently used with abstract qualities such as patience, restraint, honesty, or effort.
Easily confused with admirable
An admirer is a person who admires someone or something, whereas admirable describes the thing that is worthy of admiration.