ADMIRE


Meaning of ADMIRE in English

verb

1

BAD : One hour is not long enough to admire all the exhibits.

GOOD : One hour is not long enough to see all the exhibits.

BAD : I enjoyed admiring all the old buildings.

GOOD : I enjoyed looking at all the old buildings.

◆◆◆

Do not use admire when you just mean 'see' or 'look at'. Admire means 'look at someone or something with a strong feeling of pleasure'. This meaning of admire is found mainly in novels and tourist brochures: 'Come and admire the magnificence of the Niagara Falls.' 'Rupert was sitting outside on the verandah, admiring the many jewels in the night sky.'

2

BAD : Although it was a sad film, I admired it very much.

GOOD : Although it was a sad film, I enjoyed it very much.

BAD : Everybody admired your talk because it was lively and interesting.

GOOD : Everybody enjoyed your talk because it was lively and interesting.

◆◆◆

Do not use admire when you mean 'enjoy'. Admire means 'have a very high opinion of someone': 'I've always admired people who think for themselves.' 'Lewis was probably best known and admired for his work on medieval literature.'

Longman Common Errors English vocabulary.      Английский словарь распространенных ошибок Longman.