motivated

adjective

mo·​ti·​vat·​ed ˈmō-tə-ˌvā-təd 

: provided with a motive : having an incentive or a strong desire to do well or succeed in some pursuit

a motivated employee

Courses are being offered on college campuses for those who are highly motivated but who without such help often drop out and are lost to society and themselves.

—Carol Kort

In a sporting context, for example, athletes who consistently seem to play hard and rarely concede defeat are often described as highly motivated or "competitive" by the media.

—Robert C. Eklund

Examples of motivated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

By embedding these standards into the organizational fabric, equity becomes the default operational setting, ensuring that every employee feels valued, safe, and motivated to stay. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

The most inventive kill here — set in a school gym, cuing death by treadmill and falling weights — is also the least motivated, but no matter. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 July 2026

Cacioppo’s criminal history could undercut a central element of Hanaway’s claims about unfair contracting, which Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas called politically motivated. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026

According to polling published July 23 by AARP, voters in Georgia over the age of 50 are more motivated to vote in this year's elections than those in younger age brackets. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing motivated

• self-motivated

Rhymes for motivated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated