as in motivational
serving or likely to arouse action or activity
The biggest motivating factor behind her decision to change jobs was the pay increase. The positive feedback he received was very motivating.
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as in encouraging
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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Recent Examples of motivating
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Working with other independent business owners striving hard to succeed has been motivating, Glover said.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 June 2026
Jackson’s own sermon echoed the political moment motivating Gilbert’s run.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Last October Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader in men’s Grand Slam singles titles who turned 39 in May, said James was one of the athletes motivating him to keep going.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 9 June 2026
Helping people find affordable housing and motivating others to join the effort is a passion for Emma Yarger.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
His team made its interest in trafficking plain to the local ATF division, motivating agents to build cases.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 June 2026
It's been reported that a motivating factor in Princess Anne finally making the split official was the discovery that her husband had fathered another child years earlier.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Two incredible coaches who are among the best at motivating their teams.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Verb
What, then, is motivating the 41-year-old to don Portugal’s kit for his sixth and final World Cup this summer?
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 June 2026
Working with other independent business owners striving hard to succeed has been motivating, Glover said.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 June 2026
Jackson’s own sermon echoed the political moment motivating Gilbert’s run.
—Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
Last October Novak Djokovic, the all-time leader in men’s Grand Slam singles titles who turned 39 in May, said James was one of the athletes motivating him to keep going.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 9 June 2026
Helping people find affordable housing and motivating others to join the effort is a passion for Emma Yarger.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
His team made its interest in trafficking plain to the local ATF division, motivating agents to build cases.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 1 June 2026
It's been reported that a motivating factor in Princess Anne finally making the split official was the discovery that her husband had fathered another child years earlier.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Two incredible coaches who are among the best at motivating their teams.
—Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivating
Adjective
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Ahead of the Spurs' run in the 2026 NBA Finals, McNulty celebrated her husband with a motivational tribute post on Instagram.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
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Brown, who also recently said goodbye to Queer Eye, seems to be keeping busy with motivational videos, per his Instagram.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Cuts expected to remain include a sharp reduction in zoning investigators, the elimination of a fee waiver encouraging sidewalk repairs and cuts to the city’s bomb squad.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
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Efforts to increase births have accelerated in recent years as the full scale of the population crisis has become clearer, with new policies ranging from childbirth and housing subsidies to encouraging more fathers to take paternity leave.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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Watching what Richards has gone through the last two weeks to get himself into this position was inspiring, his teammates said.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
Talking about death can be educational, empowering and inspiring.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Iran may have succeeded in forcing Washington to make a choice between supporting Israel’s military freedom of action and preserving a diplomatic track with Tehran.—
Abbas Al Lawati,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
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He is especially known for his signature sinker that is known for forcing weak contact on the ground.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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But this disjointed medley, performed by Christiani Pitts and Sam Tutty, offered little context for what is meant to be exciting or enticing about the show.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
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That does sound enticing for a brand that became the first Chinese carmaker to exceed 1 million sales in Europe.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 05,
New Atlas,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Pino’s attorneys were unsuccessful in persuading Tinkler Mendez to bar the claim from being mentioned in the trial.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
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After persuading state lawmakers to give it more time, New York City Public Schools released a plan to reduce class sizes that allocates $244 million to hire new teachers across 360 schools.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Apollo Neuro reviews have been piling up across the internet as more people try the wearable device that aims to rebalance the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
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In a new study published in PLOS, researchers analyzed 161 fossils with a new rapid and non-destructive protocol, based on stimulating the bone remains with an external energy source, called luminescence.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivating. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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