MOTIVATE Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

motivate

verb

Definition of motivate

as in to encourage

to rouse to action or activity The presence of treats motivated the dogs to obey their owner's commands. They drove a campaign to motivate voters to show up to the polls.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of motivate The former president denied the accusations and called the proceedings politically motivated. — Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026 Holiday campaigns are always important for motivating consumers to shop, showcasing what’s new for the season and a store’s seasonal trappings, and for fueling business through the critical fourth quarter. — David Moin, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 Despite his training in fine dining, what motivates him is the warmth and affection of home cooking. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026 The romantic entanglements and recording studio dealings are not what fuels the plot or motivates the characters. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for motivate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivate

Verb

Mitte encouraged people to open up with each other and be candid about their feelings.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Sepesi hopes the worldwide attention surrounding the Pope's diagnosis will encourage more people to learn about lung cancer.

— Tori Mason, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of encourage

Verb

Janabi said one of the biggest challenges has been persuading those who are infected to seek medical assistance, adding that some deaths occur in the community outside of health centers.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Mamut and Grönberg were persuaded by Paul Best, a new arrival at Elliott, who believed that the eclipse of brick-and-mortar retail by online commerce had been overstated, and that certain chains could flourish if well capitalized.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuade

Verb

Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, a blogger who filmed the assault, said the settlers beat Levine with sticks while the journalists and villagers were forced to retreat.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Trump repeatedly leaned on Thune to kill the filibuster in order to pass it, and other senators wanted Thune to try to force Democrats to pull off a talking filibuster to block the bill.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of force

Verb

But while Cartman and Ike are in Sephora, they get enticed into going into the backrooms with an employee, which look straight out of Kane Parsons’ horror film.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Some blame the content for not being enticing enough, while others contend that the programs could be promoted better on Netflix.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of entice

Verb

All inspired by Rise & Fall’s signature knitwear and outerwear, the designs recast the language of clothing in sculptural forms, bringing together the softness of textiles and the presence of jewelry.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
We were inspired from how many great discoveries that went on to revolutionize science and medicine came about from looking around in nature and finding these odd things—PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests, for example, or CRISPR.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of inspire

Verb

The reason progestogen is recommended in women with a uterus is because estrogen can stimulate growth of the uterine lining and increase the risk of endometrial cancer.

— Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
The glasses project light onto 378 pixels in the implant, which converts those light patterns into an electrical current that stimulates the retina’s bipolar cells.

— Erica Sweeney, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stimulate

Verb

Major cringe, on the other hand, navigates the aesthetic affect critically and formally to induce it—viscerally exploiting its possibilities.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Holloway was induced a week and a half before her due date because of elevated blood pressure, and Sales was induced a week early because of excess protein in her urine.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026