motivation
Americannoun
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the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way.
I don't understand what her motivation was for quitting her job.
- Synonyms:
- impetus, cause, inducement, inspiration, motive
-
the state or condition of being motivated or having a strong reason to act or accomplish something.
We know that these students have strong motivation to learn.
-
something that motivates; inducement; incentive.
Clearly, the company's long-term motivation is profit.
noun
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the act or an instance of motivating
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desire to do; interest or drive
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incentive or inducement
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psychol the process that arouses, sustains and regulates human and animal behaviour
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of motivation
Explanation
People often need motivation to do tasks they'd prefer not to do. Do you work? Your motivation is your paycheck. Lost something? Finding it may provide motivation to tidy the house. At the root of the word motivation is the word motive, which is similarly defined as the reason for a particular action. Although the words are synonyms, when it comes to criminal behavior, people generally ask about the motives leading to the criminal acts, not the motivation behind them. Other synonyms for motivation include inspiration and enthusiasm, so people tend to associate motivation with positive acts.
Vocabulary lists containing motivation
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The rise in sentiment was driven by improved perceptions of the economy and a surge in motivation to make major purchases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Focus on taking action instead of searching for motivation.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Meta has launched different versions of the product in the past few years: the $499 Oakley sports glasses that offer AI-powered motivation and fitness tracking, $379 Meta Ray-Bans, and non-Ray-Ban glasses for $299.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said in a statement that "we are pursuing multiple lines of enquiry to establish the motivation for this attack".
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Dr. Shurley reported to Lovelace that Jerrie Cobb had high motivation to become an astronaut.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Weeks before the rodeo, an Army veteran at another Colorado Springs Border Patrol event outlined similar motivations for exploring joining up.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
While many venture investors see the rise of young entrepreneurs as positive, some worry about the motivations of some founders during the AI gold rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
It rests with the motivations and decisions of executives, investors and shareholders who continue to subscribe to a doctrine of short-term profits and revenue at the expense of our health and well-being.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
Rather they are drawn from the same motivations and inspirations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
There were many motivations for these journeys: ambition, greed, national pride, religious fanaticism, prison pardons, scientific curiosity, the thirst for adventure and the unavailability of suitable employment in Estremadura.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.