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
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
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
Shetty’s On Purpose is a popular motivational podcast, which also features interviews with celebrities, wellness experts and more.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
About the only thing Stanford didn't do was its motivational goal of capturing all five matches in all three rounds.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Would the same $7,000 commission be more motivational to a vice president earning $150,000?
—Marty Dauer, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The opportunities for Tinnie are endless, Barber says apart from his usual duties he could also be asked to work as a motivational coach and even serve cold ‘tinnie’ to the crew.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
The thesis of Brady’s commencement, though, was battling through adversity and never quitting, and the best way for Brady to tell his motivational message was by telling the story of his Super Bowl LI comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
That was the motivational cycle.
—Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
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
Shetty’s On Purpose is a popular motivational podcast, which also features interviews with celebrities, wellness experts and more.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
About the only thing Stanford didn't do was its motivational goal of capturing all five matches in all three rounds.
—ABC News, 27 May 2026
Would the same $7,000 commission be more motivational to a vice president earning $150,000?
—Marty Dauer, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The opportunities for Tinnie are endless, Barber says apart from his usual duties he could also be asked to work as a motivational coach and even serve cold ‘tinnie’ to the crew.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
The thesis of Brady’s commencement, though, was battling through adversity and never quitting, and the best way for Brady to tell his motivational message was by telling the story of his Super Bowl LI comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
That was the motivational cycle.
—Rustin Dodd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivational
Adjective
-
His unique blend of bespoke tailoring in unusual colors and patterns remains inspirational to a new generation of fashion savvy athletes.—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
-
And in preparing for Hargitay's Broadway show, Every Brilliant Thing, Brunson has proved to be inspirational.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
9 June 2026
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Motivational.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivational. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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