as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
fear of failing should be plenty of motivation to study for the test
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 motivation
Whatever their motivations for requiring a return to work (RTW), employers are running into resistance from the workers themselves.
—
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 28 June 2025
The female directing duo provided greater motivation for Elio (Yonas Kibreab) to want to be abducted by aliens and strengthened his emotional arc.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 27 June 2025
But in Season 3, her big motivation became protecting the weaker woman here, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee’s newborn baby as well.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 27 June 2025
The next step is to win it, and that’s our motivation for next season.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 28 June 2025
The female directing duo provided greater motivation for Elio (Yonas Kibreab) to want to be abducted by aliens and strengthened his emotional arc.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 27 June 2025
But in Season 3, her big motivation became protecting the weaker woman here, Geum-ja, and Jun-hee’s newborn baby as well.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 27 June 2025
The next step is to win it, and that’s our motivation for next season.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivation
Noun
-
Companies can offer discounts or incentives to customers to try to entice them to buy trips or vacations.—
Corina Vanek,
AZCentral.com,
7 July 2025
-
The bill eliminates critical renewable energy incentives, redirects funding toward fossil fuels and nuclear power, and dismantles key progressive priorities of the Biden administration.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
7 July 2025
Noun
-
Israel’s contention that Iran would soon be able to build a nuclear weapon was the impetus for the conflict, which began with Israel Defense Forces strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and against Iran’s military and nuclear program scientists on the night of June 12-13.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
24 June 2025
-
Tyler Grill said the festival has brought nearly 100,000 people in the city, which was the impetus for starting an annual festival in Bushnell Park.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
While some commenters noted the mistake, many offered support and encouragement.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
-
However, Bird only came out in 2017, after the encouragement of Rapinoe.—
Grace Jordan-Weinstein,
People.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
State stimulus, on-demand infrastructure, affective consumption, and homegrown innovation are reshaping consumer expectations and fashion’s business logic.—
Li Jun,
Footwear News,
28 June 2025
-
That could reduce the urgency for Beijing to step up stimulus at the upcoming Politburo meeting in July, Xing added.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivation. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share