as in diligent
having a strong desire for personal advancement
He was lauded by faculty as an exceptionally hardworking, curious, and motivated student. The company was looking for motivated self-starters to fill the sales position.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in encouraged
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 motivated
Korin Miller, SELF, 27 Mar. 2026
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis strongly criticized the bill, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Cate Charron, IndyStar, 28 Mar. 2026
Dark, eerie, and paranoid (for good reason), the eight-episode season shifts back and forth from the casual grimness of an unwelcoming reality to the shocking frights of a stoner’s worst nightmare (the latter of which is shrewdly motivated by Rachel regularly smoking pot).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Adjective
Again, this study only focused on the first 12 weeks of a diet when people tend to be the most motivated.
—Korin Miller, SELF, 27 Mar. 2026
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis strongly criticized the bill, calling it unconstitutional and politically motivated.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
Protesters tell IndyStar that they are motivated by a variety of issues, and their activism (and often their sign) is shaped by what concerns resonate with them most strongly.
—Cate Charron, IndyStar, 28 Mar. 2026
Dark, eerie, and paranoid (for good reason), the eight-episode season shifts back and forth from the casual grimness of an unwelcoming reality to the shocking frights of a stoner’s worst nightmare (the latter of which is shrewdly motivated by Rachel regularly smoking pot).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivated
Adjective
-
Some reviewers are unhappy with slow results — but Hers products are most effective when used consistently for a minimum of three months, and there’s no way of knowing how diligent these reviewers were.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Herzog depicts the bushmen who aid Boyes as dignified, diligent and intelligent without romanticizing them while capturing the rugged beauty of the African landscape.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some players encouraged the 49ers to investigate, but Lynch noted that it was not broached by anyone who joined the team in the past few weeks since free agency opened, including wide receiver Mike Evans.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Students should be encouraged to think historically, Zavala said, and to approach larger themes of colonization, erasure, power and to reflect on the way movements are shaped and the contradictions that occur within them.—
Kristy Hutchings,
Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Those two youngsters happen to be a happily engaged, and happily naive, couple, and the series plays out exploring the dynamics between the two relationships, one young, loving and energetic, the other old, tired and toxic.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
To support the flight, there has been a sharpening of space weather forecasting skills — an ability to better gauge the sun's activity and to help assure crew safety if a hazardous uptick in solar action rears its energetic head.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Soft, adjustable lighting, outdoor rain showers with peepholes framing the scenery, incredibly comfy poolside daybeds, super-crisp sheets, open-plan bathrooms with capacious closets—everything works, but nothing feels forced or superfluous.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
But Broidy’s suit received tremendous publicity, driving away all of Global Risk’s clients, even the Qataris, and Chalker was forced to lay off its entire staff.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
It was later determined that those two residents were not at home at the time of the fire, Pittsburgh Public Safety confirmed.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Yet Americans remained determined, patient, and optimistic — committed to defeating evil.—
Gil Troy,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The jury found that the trooper and another radioed a false location to headquarters before entering the apartment, and one of them decided to plant a gun at the scene afterward before his partner persuaded him against it.—
Lawrence Mower,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The jury found that the trooper and another radioed a false location to headquarters before entering the apartment, and one of them decided to plant a gun at the scene afterward before his partner persuaded him against it.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The dynamic stage production, directed by Phillip M Church, features Justine Chichester, Shawn Buller and Laquantis Morton who deliver—verbatim—Taussig’s inspiring and evocative voice.—
Christina Mayo,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Bringing all these together to shape the future of denim in a meaningful way is incredibly motivating, especially with the strength of our dynamic and experienced team.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The synopsis, just like the film's title, fails to prepare viewers for the level of chaos the film brings, which Matarazzo says enticed him.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
At the same time, though, the excitement around AI infrastructure spending has waned, and now the market seems as spooked by it than enticed.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivated. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
