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

One of the most influential explanations for why desire thrives (or declines) over time comes from self-expansion theory, developed by psychologists Arthur and Elaine Aron, which argues that humans are motivated to grow, learn and broaden their sense of self throughout life. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

Their work is faulted as factually wrong and politically motivated. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Vance Boelter, the Minnesota man accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer and fatally shooting the state’s former House speaker in what authorities have described as a politically motivated assassination, pleaded guilty Thursday. —Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 11 June 2026

The districts at the center of the federal probe have previously cast the investigation as politically motivated and meritless. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 June 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