motivation

American  

[moh-tuh-vay-shuhn] / ˌmoʊ təˈveɪ ʃən /

noun

• motivations
  plural

1. 

   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

2. 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.

3. something that motivates; inducement; incentive.

   Clearly, the company's long-term motivation is profit.

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motivation British  

/ ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of motivating

2. desire to do; interest or drive

3. incentive or inducement

4. psychol the process that arouses, sustains and regulates human and animal behaviour

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• demotivation
  noun
• nonmotivation
  noun
• remotivation
  noun
• motivational
  adjective
• motivative
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• motivations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of motivation

First recorded in 1870–75; motive + -ation

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

motivation motivations

This part of the brain helps regulate reward and motivation, making it particularly relevant to how people respond to desirable foods.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

“If you ‘lie flat’ for too long, you lose your motivation and drive to work,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

"His motivation for this - what we allege is a deliberate attack - is very much a centrepiece of the investigation," said Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Additionally, motivation, even beyond the content creation monetization that Adams pointed out, can sometimes be connected exclusively to the idea of supporting and amplifying Black art and artists while deprioritizing inquiries of their merit.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

It’s been hard for me to find the motivation to talk with anyone about this heavy feeling in my chest.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Your adviser should be clear about their motivations, and be able to outline them on paper.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

“Crystal Lake” and “Carrie” have the unenviable task of taking scary mommies we already know and helping us understand their motivations in new contexts.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

Secessionist movements regularly have "economic motivations," but typically those are married to a linguistic or nationalist component, Griffiths said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

I still can’t say with certainty why this prosecution was perpetuated—what portion was attributable to the motivations of individual government agents and what portion to forces of institutional inertia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Five years later, Ames gave a prison interview that offered a glimpse into his motivations.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

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Related Words

• catalyst
• desire
• encouragement
• impetus
• impulse
• incentive
• inclination
• interest
• motive
• reason
• wish

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