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

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The latter were clearly correct and were wise to ignore the hyperbolic predictions of politically motivated pundits. E.j. Antoni, Boston Herald, 13 July 2025 These students can be bright and motivated and make a meaningful contribution to an organization. Leslye Moore, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025 Politically motivated distrust in academic institutions, particularly on the ideological right, may help explain the attitude and why the Trump administration is taking these actions. Matt Motta, Scientific American, 10 July 2025 Whether users will pay xAI's premium pricing remains to be seen, particularly given the AI assistant's tendency to periodically generate politically motivated outputs. ArsTechnica, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for motivated

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of motivated was in 1903

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Cite this Entry

“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivated. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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