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Synonyms

motivate

American  
[moh-tuh-veyt] / ˈmoʊ təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object)

motivated, motivating

  1. to provide with a motive, or a cause or reason to act; incite; impel.

    Synonyms:
    cause, prompt, provoke, move, induce
motivate British  
/ ˈməʊtɪˌveɪt /

verb

  1. (tr) to give incentive to

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • demotivate verb (used with object)
  • motivator noun
  • nonmotivated adjective
  • remotivate verb (used with object)
  • unmotivated adjective
  • unmotivating adjective
  • well-motivated adjective

Etymology

Origin of motivate

First recorded in 1860–65; motive + -ate 1

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.