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 Critics said the constant lawsuits were politically motivated and distracted from the attorney general’s other duties, including protecting consumers. Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024 Roof was sentenced to death for the racially motivated murders. Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 10 May 2024 Coming off a mesmerizing Messi performance and Luis Suarez hat trick in a 6-2 rout of the New York Red Bulls, Inter Miami is highly motivated to continue padding its Eastern Conference lead and avenge an early season loss to Montreal, one of just two losses this season. Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024 The former president has blasted the district attorney's investigation as being politically motivated. Olivia Rubin, ABC News, 8 May 2024 The comments followed Trump complaining that the multiple indictments against him were politically motivated. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024 Here are three primary reasons why this philosophy has helped our company thrive: Employee Retention and Engagement Having a motivated team to lean on every day is vitally important for the overall success of any company. Nathan Green, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2024 The rapper opened up and talked more about Mr. W, his views on retirement, and what keeps him motivated after more than 20 years in the industry. Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024 Nacua, who enjoyed a record-setting rookie season in 2023, said last week that the first week of workouts with the highly motivated Kupp were the toughest. Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 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 14 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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