as in inspirational
serving or likely to arouse action or activity
A poster with a motivational message was hung above the water cooler. The conference will feature talks by some well-known motivational speakers.
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Recent Examples of motivational
Then and only then will Hafley begin to change the cosmetics of the locker room, doing things like putting up motivational signage and what not.
—
Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
At times during her career, Close was viewed as an excellent recruiter and strong motivational speaker, but her tactical decisions were easy to question every time her team faltered during big moments.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The idea comes from men’s relationship coach and motivational speaker Alessandro Frosali, who compared some low-maintenance partners to, well, plastic bags in a viral video.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 Apr. 2026
King, who is in his early fifties, is a former marine, a motivational speaker, and a mental-health and substance-abuse professional.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
My high school basketball coach was, depending on the day, either a motivational genius or a certified madman.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
With traces of the trap titans that paved the way, Kushington’s motivational raps filled his trapper-friendly The Streets Is Yours debut project, which arrived last March.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.
—Bob Strauss, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
At times during her career, Close was viewed as an excellent recruiter and strong motivational speaker, but her tactical decisions were easy to question every time her team faltered during big moments.
—Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
The idea comes from men’s relationship coach and motivational speaker Alessandro Frosali, who compared some low-maintenance partners to, well, plastic bags in a viral video.
—Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 Apr. 2026
King, who is in his early fifties, is a former marine, a motivational speaker, and a mental-health and substance-abuse professional.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
My high school basketball coach was, depending on the day, either a motivational genius or a certified madman.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
With traces of the trap titans that paved the way, Kushington’s motivational raps filled his trapper-friendly The Streets Is Yours debut project, which arrived last March.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.
—Bob Strauss, Houston Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2026
The duo’s direct clashes whiplash with motivational complexity as well as physical lashing out.
—Bob Strauss, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivational
Adjective
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Bill Nighy has joined the starry cast of Morten Tyldum’s Ibelin, re-telling the inspirational true story of late disabled Norwegian gamer Mats Steen, as production gets underway in Norway.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
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Kopitar was also voted by the players as the club’s most inspirational player, earning him the Ace Bailey Memorial Award.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That was really inspiring to me.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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And the band will perform that album’s inspiring and invigorating songs the way they’re meant to be heard, live and in person, on the Congo Square Stage on May 1st.—
Al Shipley,
SPIN,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivational. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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