motivation

American  

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

noun

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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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of motivation

First recorded in 1870–75; motive + -ation

Example Sentences

But as Marvin, Leander and Tom's experiences show, a man's motivation for looksmaxxing can be as much about how he sees himself as about how others see him.

From BBC

While he has since expressed other motivations for the war, Crump said targeting the island's oil infrastructure was "difficult" as it would destroy the country's economic lifeline for a long period of time.

From BBC

"I have lost all motivation for anything," she says, "besides trying to raise a decent human being in this messed up world."

From BBC

If getting ahead of the competition were the motivation, the move might be aimed specifically at staying ahead of any supply chain shocks, Carden added.

From Barron's

But the question of how we get there means everything, and all this straight-line script can devise in terms of motivation is to have characters give up creating fake drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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