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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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.
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 motivating
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel sentiment was a motivating factor in Mamdani's election victory.
—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
But even as Chen played arguably her best game of her career on Wednesday, something extra might have been motivating the 24-year-old guard.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Emotions that induce positive feelings— like joy, desire, and excitement—activate our brain’s reward centers, motivating us to solve problems and take action.
—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
Whatever the complex reasons motivating presidential travel, the amount of time spent abroad would no doubt come as a shock to pre-twentieth-century Americans.
—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
16 June 2026
Jalen has credited his parents with motivating him to excel on and off the court.
—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 June 2026
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
Jackson’s own sermon echoed the political moment motivating Gilbert’s run.
—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Verb
These programs act as a powerful catalyst, reinforcing other rehabilitation efforts by motivating inmates towards positive change.
—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2026
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel sentiment was a motivating factor in Mamdani's election victory.
—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
But even as Chen played arguably her best game of her career on Wednesday, something extra might have been motivating the 24-year-old guard.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Emotions that induce positive feelings— like joy, desire, and excitement—activate our brain’s reward centers, motivating us to solve problems and take action.
—
Dr. Deepika Chopra,
Flow Space,
16 June 2026
Whatever the complex reasons motivating presidential travel, the amount of time spent abroad would no doubt come as a shock to pre-twentieth-century Americans.
—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
16 June 2026
Jalen has credited his parents with motivating him to excel on and off the court.
—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
12 June 2026
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
Jackson’s own sermon echoed the political moment motivating Gilbert’s run.
—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivating
Adjective
-
Vanessa also wears the hats of playwright, motivational speaker, and retreat host, channeling her storytelling gift across multiple creative platforms.
-
Norway’s King Harald narrated their squad announcement video, delivering a motivational speech to the first group to reach a World Cup finals since 1998.
Verb
-
The new searchable databases work against those calls, encouraging Germans to look more closely at their own families’ association with Nazism and prompting fresh reflections on how ordinary citizens came to normalize extremism.
-
Passionate Mars in your 11th House of Friends sextiles Jupiter in your 1st House of Identity, encouraging brave outreach that feels warm and realistic.
Adjective
-
The Knicks were actually good, breaking a 53-year-drought by winning the NBA championship and inspiring acts of passion and mania across the city.
-
At a time when artificial intelligence and software continue to reshape the creative landscape, the MPC Sample became a powerful reminder that hands-on music-making remains as influential and inspiring as ever.
Verb
-
Liv Morgan controversially interrupted Iyo Sky's coronation, attacking her and forcing a tap-out.
-
California previously faced tens of billions of dollars in budget deficits, forcing painful cuts such as a rollback last year on a promise to provide free healthcare to low-income immigrants without legal status.
Verb
-
Obviously, Donnie being over there was enticing to me.
-
For American diners of diverse backgrounds, chop suey struck an enticing balance between novelty and decipherability, which propelled it to national popularity even as the US government moved to exclude Chinese laborers from entering the country in 1882.
Verb
-
The French president had also thrown himself into persuading the player to stay with Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2022, as if trying to keep a monument that belongs to the national heritage.
-
But luckily for Mboladinga, the Congo squad stopped at nothing to ensure its beloved icon made it to North America, going as far as persuading DRC President Félix Tshisekedi to include him in the team’s official delegation.
Verb
-
Red light is mitochondrially stimulating, so late-night use can disrupt sleep.
-
Performance benefits often persist even in habitual users, even if the stimulating feel-good buzz fades.
Cite this Entry
“Motivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivating. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
