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

There is no indication that the edit was politically motivated. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025

Memphis struggled out of the gate on Friday night against a motivated Tulane Green Wave team that suffered an upset loss to UTSA in Week 10. —Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Democrats are energized and motivated and ready to take this country back. —Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Nov. 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