Inspiring describes something or someone that fills you with energy, courage, or determination to do something meaningful. When a teacher's passion for science is inspiring, it makes students eager to learn more and explore the natural world themselves. When a friend's hard work is inspiring, it motivates you to tackle your own challenges with renewed effort.

The word comes from an old idea about breathing life or spirit into someone. An inspiring story, person, or moment seems to breathe new possibility into you, making you feel capable of more than you thought. A coach's inspiring halftime speech might help a losing team find the strength to keep fighting. An inspiring book about a mountain climber might make you want to push past your own limits, whatever they are.

Notice that truly inspiring things don't just make you feel good temporarily. They change how you think about what's possible. The Wright brothers' first flight was inspiring because it showed that humans could achieve what seemed impossible. When we call something inspiring, we mean it awakens something inside us: ambition, creativity, hope, or the desire to become better versions of ourselves.