as in motivational
serving or likely to arouse action or activity
The biggest motivating factor behind her decision to change jobs was the pay increase. The positive feedback he received was very motivating.
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as in encouraging
to rouse to action or activity
The presence of treats motivated the dogs to obey their owner's commands. They drove a campaign to motivate voters to show up to the polls.
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Recent Examples of motivating
Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
How Nate Died on ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Nate was buried alive as a means of motivating Cassie to pay Naz a $1 million within 72 hours otherwise her husband would die of dehydration.
—Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Frances is a cheerleader for the people in her programs, inspiring them to succeed and motivating women to seek greatness.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Analysts and industry insiders have cited rising fuel prices as a possible factor motivating these decisions.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 20 May 2026
And their primaries will shed light on the issues that are motivating Democratic voters.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 18 May 2026
The group chat can also be motivating.
—Glamour, 18 May 2026
Trump was asked this week if people's economic woes were motivating him to reach a deal with Tehran.
—Brad Brooks, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Trump, while leaving the White House on Tuesday, was asked how much Americans’ financial situation was motivating him to make a deal with Iran.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Verb
Sokoloff blamed Mejia himself for alienating city officials and motivating them to cut his resources.
—Rafael Perez, Daily News, 28 May 2026
How Nate Died on ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Nate was buried alive as a means of motivating Cassie to pay Naz a $1 million within 72 hours otherwise her husband would die of dehydration.
—Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Frances is a cheerleader for the people in her programs, inspiring them to succeed and motivating women to seek greatness.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
Analysts and industry insiders have cited rising fuel prices as a possible factor motivating these decisions.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 20 May 2026
And their primaries will shed light on the issues that are motivating Democratic voters.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 18 May 2026
The group chat can also be motivating.
—Glamour, 18 May 2026
Trump was asked this week if people's economic woes were motivating him to reach a deal with Tehran.
—Brad Brooks, USA Today, 16 May 2026
Trump, while leaving the White House on Tuesday, was asked how much Americans’ financial situation was motivating him to make a deal with Iran.
—Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivating
Adjective
-
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
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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
Verb
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After returning to the United States, investigators say O’Rourke continued the alleged scam by encouraging friends and family members to organize additional fundraising events on her behalf.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
-
One partner gets a little embarrassed, but the other lightens the mood and keeps encouraging them.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Brith had swallowed, forcing down something hard in her throat.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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Given that, the court concluded that forcing UCAR to give up its supercomputing center was arbitrary and capricious, and thus violated the Administrative Procedures Act.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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Sergei Bobrovsky The free-agent pool of goalies this summer isn’t inspiring.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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That experience confirmed Lean’s boredom with studio shoots and his hunger to work outside in inspiring locations.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Tranquill then became the recruiter during the 2026 offseason, enticing safety Alohi Gilman to join him in Kansas City.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Tucker faces charges of enticing a minor by computer and criminal attempt to commit risk of injury to a minor in connection with an investigation conducted by the Bloomfield Police Department.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Those include persuading a critical number of merchants to accept payments from agents, while also determining who is responsible for failed and fraudulent transactions.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
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Candidate Brenda Lee Anderson, a Northwestern University researcher, noted that a key challenge has been persuading those without children in Chicago Public Schools that the school board is worth their attention.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The honors program provides students with innovative and stimulating academic programming through high-impact learning practices.—
Aegis,
Baltimore Sun,
28 May 2026
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Cinnamon can be used for everything from germination to protecting plants from pests and diseases, from stimulating plant growth to as a natural antiseptic, fungicide, and pest repellent.—
Michelle Mastro,
The Spruce,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivating. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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