motivated

adjective

mo·​ti·​vat·​ed ˈmō-tə-ˌvā-təd How to pronounce motivated (audio)
: provided with a motive : having an incentive or a strong desire to do well or succeed in some pursuit
a motivated employee
Courses are being offered on college campuses for those who are highly motivated but who without such help often drop out and are lost to society and themselves.Carol Kort
In a sporting context, for example, athletes who consistently seem to play hard and rarely concede defeat are often described as highly motivated or "competitive" by the media.Robert C. Eklund

Examples of motivated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web White House avoids weighing in on possible Israeli response to Iran's attack Outside the courtroom -- and throughout the day on his social media platform Truth Social -- the former president was defiant, lambasting the prosecution as politically motivated. Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024 Hunter Biden's lawyers had argued the case was politically motivated and asserted that an immunity provision from an original plea deal that fell apart still holds. CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024 That means people showing up on time, highly motivated, highly productive. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024 The ex-vice president had sought protection from embezzlement charges by requesting asylum in Mexico, saying that the accusations were politically motivated. Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024 Capricorn Capricorn risings tend to be hard-working and motivated, Stardust explains. Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024 At the January school-committee meeting, Gayle-Brissett refuted the allegations about the restorative-justice circles, and suggested that the criticisms of her work were racially motivated. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024 Chronic pain can be awful, so people are very motivated to find pain relief by any means. Ed Cara / Gizmodo, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2024 Díaz de la Portilla called the allegations false, and said the lawsuit is politically motivated and frivolous. Susan Merriam, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'motivated.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of motivated was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near motivated

Cite this Entry

“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivated. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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