motivation
Americannoun
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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
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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.
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something that motivates; inducement; incentive.
Clearly, the company's long-term motivation is profit.
noun
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the act or an instance of motivating
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desire to do; interest or drive
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incentive or inducement
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psychol the process that arouses, sustains and regulates human and animal behaviour
Other Word Forms
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
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
But that teaches another more cautionary lesson about collecting nemeses: Salieri never figured out how to channel his gnawing envy into motivation.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
"Even the view from our tent window became the main motivation," said Tala.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
That doesn’t guarantee deals will be made, but it does mean more motivation to get at least some done.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
“Sustained growth in the space will depend on expansion of use cases beyond lower-funnel conversion into upper-and mid-funnel objectives, which is a major motivation behind upfront style events in retail media.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
Maddie nudged the girl next to her and jutted her chin in Emily’s direction, which was exactly the motivation Emily needed to surge forward with the lines she and James had practiced.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
