as in incentives
something that arouses action or activity
fear of failing should be plenty of motivation to study for the test
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Recent Examples of motivations
Dillingham joins an incoherent group, mostly composed of guards, with varying motivations.
—
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Banks tells the camera, imagining herself talking to a rival, explaining her motivations for wanting to be a producer.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
So are religious motivations an attempt to cover for cultural or political motives, personal rationalizations, or misinformation?
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Those advocating a change don’t always have the same motivations.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Broader implications Whatever the motivations behind Chinese investments, their implications extend beyond local trade and logistics.
—Dylan Spencer, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Whatever the case, the result is easily the franchise’s worst effort, riddled with muddled motivations, inconsistent characters and a serious identity crisis.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
Does that desire to be on the field for offseason activities trump his financial motivations at the end of the day?
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2026
Whatever the case, the result is easily the franchise’s worst effort, riddled with muddled motivations, inconsistent characters and a serious identity crisis.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
Banks tells the camera, imagining herself talking to a rival, explaining her motivations for wanting to be a producer.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026
So are religious motivations an attempt to cover for cultural or political motives, personal rationalizations, or misinformation?
—Cory Anderson, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Those advocating a change don’t always have the same motivations.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2026
Broader implications Whatever the motivations behind Chinese investments, their implications extend beyond local trade and logistics.
—Dylan Spencer, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
Whatever the case, the result is easily the franchise’s worst effort, riddled with muddled motivations, inconsistent characters and a serious identity crisis.
—Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
Does that desire to be on the field for offseason activities trump his financial motivations at the end of the day?
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Mar. 2026
Whatever the case, the result is easily the franchise’s worst effort, riddled with muddled motivations, inconsistent characters and a serious identity crisis.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivations
Noun
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Another reason is that in many European leagues, a large share of broadcasting revenue comes from viewers’ pay-TV subscriptions, negating some of the incentives behind sweeping ad rollouts.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Plano city leaders later agreed to give AT&T $20 million in incentives and a lengthy property tax rebate for the firm to build its new global headquarters.—
Nick Wooten,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
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Hints, counsels, warnings, remonstrations, even encouragements are, in the end, of limited value.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Motivations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivations. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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