motivation

noun mo·ti·va·tion \ ˌmō-tə-ˈvā-shən \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: motivation in a Sentence

Definition of motivation

1 a : the act or process of motivating

Some students need motivation to help them through school.

b : the condition of being motivated

employees who lack motivation

2 : a motivating force, stimulus, or influence : incentive, drive

the Old Testament heroes added religious motivation to the waging of war
—Richard Humble

The fear of failure was the motivation for his achievements.

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motivational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

—

motivationally

adverb

See motivation defined for English-language learners

See motivation defined for kids

Examples of motivation in a Sentence

Some students need motivation to help them through school.
Many people have questioned her motivations in choosing to run for office at this time.

Recent Examples of motivation from the Web

But that doesn’t mean the Jaguar design team didn’t take advantage of the benefits of electric motivation.

— matthew scott, Outside Online, "The Electric Jaguar I-Pace Can Go Off-Road," 9 July 2018
While Republicans and Democrats debate what to do with those seeking a new life in America and future immigration policies, those making the trek have several motivations.

— christal hayes, USA TODAY, "Thousands of immigrants pass through the southern border. Why are they fleeing their home countries?," 25 June 2018
Lavie's team also demonstrated that perceptual capacity is distinct from general cognitive ability and ruled out other possible factors such as varying levels of motivation.

— simon makin, Scientific American, "How Perceptive Are You? Not Everyone Is the Same," 28 May 2018
The county and its taxpayers have ample motivation to expand the partnership with the Urban Ecology Center in shaping the future of the historic park.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Urban Ecology Center's $12 million expansion plan at Washington Park would save taxpayers," 25 May 2018
On the other hand, Trump has an obvious motivation to discredit the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into his inner circle — and a long history of fabricating baseless conspiracies as a means of doing so.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Lawyer Invited to Classified Briefing on Investigation of Trump," 24 May 2018
Welles ably finds the right mix of motivations to make Luther a likeable guy.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Pomerado News, "REVIEW: SDMT's 'South Pacific' is enchanting and thought-provoking," 9 May 2018
Eating is one of life's great joys, and hunting includes a variety of motivations.

— author: christine cunningham, Anchorage Daily News, "What is a sport hunter? Words don’t always fit a person’s motivation," 26 Apr. 2018
Plus, there is no evidence any of Jordan's accusers have political motivations.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "Jim Jordan has some powerful political defenders amid the Ohio State sexual abuse allegations," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'motivation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of motivation

1873

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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motivation Synonyms

Phrases

shot in the arm;

MOTIVATION Defined for English Language Learners

motivation

noun

Definition of motivation for English Language Learners

: the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something : the act or process of motivating someone
: the condition of being eager to act or work : the condition of being motivated
: a force or influence that causes someone to do something