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
Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2026
The Horace Mann report describes the daily impact on a superintendent as requiring the management of criticism, misinformation, and politically motivated attacks while trying to maintain credibility and trust.
—Peter Smagorinsky, AJC.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
His attorney has argued his actions weren't politically motivated.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Adjective
Beyond that, the best eating pattern to lose weight is the one that works for you and keeps you motivated and on track with your goals.
—Sohaib Imtiaz, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2026
The Horace Mann report describes the daily impact on a superintendent as requiring the management of criticism, misinformation, and politically motivated attacks while trying to maintain credibility and trust.
—Peter Smagorinsky, AJC.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
The suspect charged with vandalizing the Cincinnati home of Vice President JD Vance was not politically motivated, according to his defense attorney.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
His attorney has argued his actions weren't politically motivated.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivated
Adjective
-
But such diligent injury prevention doesn’t address the root cause of Rec League Dysmorphia.—
Grace Perry,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Iran thus has every right to demand that the IAEA be diligent in observing its own procedures and codes of conduct on impartiality, objectivity, confidentiality, and sensitivity to national security concerns in exchange for continued cooperation.—
Mohammad Javad Zarif,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The city’s emergency overflow shelter is available to adults over 18, with capacity for dogs in kennels, but the office encouraged people who need a warm place to sleep to seek primary shelters as a first option.—
Austin Hornbostel,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Nov. 2025
-
During the end of the latter track, Lauper encouraged audience members to sing along and brought Salt-n-Pepa onstage to join in.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Whether that’s stand in the pocket, whether that’s run, whether that’s scramble, whether that’s hand the ball off 30 times and be energetic about it.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The show channels a certain energetic, zany sense of humor viewers could recognize from their own adolescent friendships and antics, culminating in a five-season run and a 2021–2023 revival on Paramount+.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
She and other members of both houses and both parties were evacuated for their safety for several hours as rioters forced their way into the Capitol that day.—
David Staats,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The township, which has raised the possibility it'll be forced into bankruptcy, said its insurer went out of business before the claim arose.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Left in the dark Early in the pandemic, Florida was determined to keep a lid of secrecy on the spread of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.—
Kevin G. Hall,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly impossible to find, Lamia sets out on a determined journey throughout the big city in search of eggs, flour and sugar.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But the demonstrations are diffuse and largely leaderless, and Pezeshkian’s efforts at mediation — and the killings and arrests by security forces — have not persuaded the protesters to stay off the streets.—
Henry Austin,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The paintings worked because viewers did not need to be persuaded that these scenes mattered.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Not because the moms themselves are toxic people, but because the dynamic shifts into an ugly place with mean-girl behavior.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
-
The 53-year-old Mladenov has long been involved in Middle Eastern politics with solid expertise in the region’s dynamic developments.—
Veselin Toshkov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Many younger visitors have been enticed to visit the town thanks to its arts offerings, with rising numbers making the pilgrimage to the Frieder Burda Museum to take in its temporary exhibitions.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
These everyday investors are likely also enticed by Karp, who Luria said is similar to Tesla CEO Elon Musk in his ability to sell a business vision.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivated. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share