as in incentive
something that arouses action or activity
fear of failing should be plenty of motivation to study for the test
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of motivation
Does knowing her motivations make what’s to come easier?
—
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.
—Riley Beggin, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
But Remmick’s motivations — explained in a stray line of dialogue — are too thinly drawn and haphazardly framed.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
Now, both sides of the trade have sincere motivation here.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Shapiro told reporters at a news conference on April 16 that regardless of the motivation for the crime, political violence must be condemned as unacceptable in our society.
—Riley Beggin, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
But Remmick’s motivations — explained in a stray line of dialogue — are too thinly drawn and haphazardly framed.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025
Now, both sides of the trade have sincere motivation here.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivation
Noun
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The Trump administration is also working to undo incentives around clean energy, particularly the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.—
Umair Irfan,
Wired News,
26 Apr. 2025
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Slate Auto There’s also the issue of federal incentives.—
Abigail Bassett,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The impetus for his ire had everything to do with Minnesota big man Rudy Gobert, who was being chastised by the fan when Edwards decided to step in and take over the exchange.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Union leaders said the impetus for the strike was a string of 44 labor law violations allegedly committed by the county, including retaliation and contracting out work that’s supposed to be done by union members.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Katherine, an avid reader who loves James Joyce and modern poetry, tries her hand at screenwriting, with Fred’s encouragement.—
Mark Athitakis,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
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Not only this, his friends also came to his defense, offering words of encouragement.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Conscious perception is the ability of human beings to become aware of the stimuli received by their senses.—
Jorge Garay,
Wired News,
19 Apr. 2025
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This micro-moment creates space between stimulus and response, where emotional intelligence flourishes.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivation. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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