motivation

American  

[moh-tuh-vey-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

Etymology

Origin of motivation

First recorded in 1870–75; motive + -ation

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

Wall Street analysts later explained that the real motivation was likely to protect the Treasury market, just as volatility was starting to tick higher.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

These results suggest that orexin neurons are required to maintain motivated behavior, but increasing their activity beyond normal levels may not be enough to produce additional motivation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Bruce Dubinsky, a forensic accountant who worked on the Enron and Madoff cases, says the issue comes down to the motivation of the parties and can be explained through an analogy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The theory suggests teams often enjoy a short-term improvement after appointing a new head coach, helped by renewed motivation, tactical tweaks and a psychological reset.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Taro has always been smart, but he lacks motivation.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

To survive, they’ve had to connect with groups that have almost incomprehensibly different motivations.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

In the end, Schiller has a go at parsing her own motivations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

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

The research reports, from JPMorgan and Panmure Liberum, offer different motivations for the exchange.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

The bus was packed with a motley group of men and women who represented the spectrum of ages, neighborhoods, backstories, and motivations.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore

Related Words

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