as in diligent
having a strong desire for personal advancement
He was lauded by faculty as an exceptionally hardworking, curious, and motivated student. The company was looking for motivated self-starters to fill the sales position.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in encouraged
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of motivated
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Even if a fraction of the clip audience watches or listens to the entirety of something, that audience tends to be very engaged and usually motivated to pay for that content.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Harbaugh and Schoen’s expensive trade up for Fields may have been motivated by what happened in Friday’s second round, when the Houston Texans charged over New York to pick Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Adjective
Enforcement is not possible without adequate, motivated personnel.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Even if a fraction of the clip audience watches or listens to the entirety of something, that audience tends to be very engaged and usually motivated to pay for that content.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Fraud, lavish spending Prosecutors have alleged that the Hallfords were motivated by greed.
—Colleen Slevin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Harbaugh and Schoen’s expensive trade up for Fields may have been motivated by what happened in Friday’s second round, when the Houston Texans charged over New York to pick Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for motivated
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivated
Adjective
-
These trees need proper attention to grow to their full potential—pruning is essential, as is being diligent against pests.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Defenseman Jacob Moverare was highlighted with the Daryl Evans Youth Hockey Service Award for his diligent and enthusiastic work with the Kings’ learn-to-play program.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Behavior that had long been tolerated, if not encouraged, would no longer be accepted.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
-
This paper editorialized in support of that petition and encouraged the state’s attorney to voluntarily step aside.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In the hours before the dinner, the blocks surrounding the Hilton were already jammed with cars, onlookers, and energetic protesters.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The build from the back at all costs, but with relatively no clear shape, and a huge risk / reward dynamic is not what a youthful energetic team should be doing.—
Simon Johnson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He was forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury, and with only four matches remaining, there is now a very real possibility that Salah has played his final game for Liverpool.—
Abdul Rehman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Even though the pushing and throwing motions forced the robots into excursions near the boundaries of their physical workspaces, and the pick-and-place maneuver demanded complex internal mathematical checks, all three machines were able to learn a functional policy via a single human demonstration.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But thanks to one very determined dog, Delp’s draft day celebration is now famous for an entirely different reason.—
Sara Vallone,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Delp, the 22-year-old former Georgia Bulldogs tight end was selected by the New Orleans Saints on April 24 during the third round of the NFL draft, and the video of that special moment has quickly gone viral — thanks in no small part to his pup’s determined quest for a seat.—
Sara Vallone,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The inexpensive studio space and the innovative community being formed by his gallery, Library Street Collective, persuaded him to stay.—
Julie Belcove,
Robb Report,
25 Apr. 2026
-
In the end, county officials were persuaded to act.—
Anna Clark,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Real-time obstacle detection means the K1 identifies and navigates around objects in its path, while dynamic cutting adaptation adjusts its approach based on terrain changes.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
-
An index of spot prices for dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, chips has risen more than 500% since the end of August.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It was billed as a conference of all opposition parties but media reports suggested that Obi, who remains popular with young voters and in the southeast, could be enticed out of the pact to run on a distinct platform.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
California’s fertile farm fields once enticed thousands of Dust Bowl refugees fleeing along Route 66 during the Great Depression.—
Jonathan Bullington,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivated. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
