motivation
noun
mo·ti·va·tion
ˌmō-tə-ˈvā-shən 
1
a
: the act or process of motivating
Some students need motivation to help them through school.
b
: the condition of being motivated
employees who lack motivation
motivationally
adverb
Examples of motivation in a Sentence
Some students need motivation to help them through school.
Many people have questioned her motivations in choosing to run for office at this time.
Recent Examples on the Web
Based on my experience, when this process is delegated to a product UI or AI agent, motivation to respond decreases even more.
—
Peter Potapov, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Recognition continues to be a leading driver of engagement, impacting employee connection, motivation, and pride.
—Bob Helbig, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
The Magic Land is home to good and bad witches, on whom Volkov bestows both new names and motivations.
—Christin Bohnke, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2025
But the details surrounding the characters of DOOM, their motivations, and their actions are intentionally shorn away, creating the sense that this is a work guided by an inner logic knowable only to the performers themselves.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Peter Potapov, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Recognition continues to be a leading driver of engagement, impacting employee connection, motivation, and pride.
—Bob Helbig, Hartford Courant, 6 Mar. 2025
The Magic Land is home to good and bad witches, on whom Volkov bestows both new names and motivations.
—Christin Bohnke, JSTOR Daily, 5 Mar. 2025
But the details surrounding the characters of DOOM, their motivations, and their actions are intentionally shorn away, creating the sense that this is a work guided by an inner logic knowable only to the performers themselves.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for motivation
Cite this Entry
“Motivation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivation. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
motivation
noun
mo·ti·va·tion
ˌmōt-ə-ˈvā-shən
1
a
: the act or process of motivating
b
: the condition of being motivated
2
: a motivating force or influence : incentive
Medical Definition
motivation
noun
mo·ti·va·tion
ˌmōt-ə-ˈvā-shən
1
a
: the act or process of motivating
b
: the condition of being motivated
2
: a motivating force, stimulus, or influence (as a drive or incentive)
lacks the motivation to lose weight
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share