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

As always, Tallulah’s far less motivated. —Caroline Framke, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2025

The shotmaking now feels less actuarial than psychologically motivated. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025

Updated 1 hour ago Chiefs With NFL playoffs out of reach, what will keep Chiefs motivated in final weeks? —Daniel Zeilstra, Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025

He was later convicted of smuggling and financing actions that violated public order — charges that were widely denounced as politically motivated — and sentenced to 10 years in 2023. —CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025

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