motivation
Americannoun
-
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
-
the act or an instance of motivating
-
desire to do; interest or drive
-
incentive or inducement
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Motivation for guests to arrive early comes in the form of a limited-edition zine that may contain a photo of people from the previous month’s event.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025
While seasonal gifts, such as at Christmas, were allowed, the managers were explicitly told they could not use Motivation cards for these purchases.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025
That's because, according to internal bank guidance we have seen, these could be bought on expenses providing they were small gifts of £25 or less and they were not bought using the Motivation card.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2025
Previous research has noted that students tend to view teachers who have growth mindsets as friendly and warm, so this proof-of-concept study, published in the journal Motivation Science, was designed to evaluate those factors separately.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024
And that's when I learned what the Motivation Mobile was.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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.
