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

Yzerman and Todd McLellan reiterated their belief in Kasper at the end of the season, and the young center is a highly motivated player who is sure to work hard toward a rebound this summer. —Max Bultman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026

Powell suggested it was politically motivated. —Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026

Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, had denounced the probe, which was announced in January, calling it a politically motivated step by the White House and a threat to the independence of the central bank. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026

Weiss walked over to the Washington set and consulted with Doukopil, Cordes and Gutman during a break, providing a bipartisan list of government officials and activists who were subjected to politically motivated violence in recent years. —Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 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