Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The act or process of motivating.
  • noun The state of being motivated.
  • noun Something that motivates; an inducement, reason, or goal.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act or manner of motivating; the act or process of furnishing with an incentive or inducement to action.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act or process of motivating.
  • noun The mental process that arouses an organism to action.
  • noun The goal or mental image of a goal that creates a motivation{2}.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Willingness of action especially in behavior
  • noun The action of motivating.
  • noun Something which motivates.
  • noun An incentive or reason for doing something.
  • noun advertising a research rating that measures how the rational and emotional elements of a commercial affect consumer intention to consider, visit, or buy something.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the condition of being motivated
  • noun the act of motivating; providing incentive
  • noun the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

motive, from the Latin verb moveō ("(I) move"), + -ation

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Examples

  • I'm still unsure about this one; it could turn out really cool, or an absolute disaster ... my main motivation is that i don't wanna spend money on a haircut. decisions, decisions purchase any of the following: Kindle, iPod Touch, or MacBook

    Archive 2009-02-01 Liz 2009

  • Their main motivation is self-protection, second target shooting.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Changes in the Gun Culture over the last 25 years 2010

  • My main motivation is to learn the language of my husband so I can speak into his heart in his own language (we usually speak to each other in our second language – English - and it can be frustrating sometimes because of the misunderstandings) and since we are planning to start a family soon, we want our children to be trilingual too.

    livre d'or - French Word-A-Day 2009

  • Alsop explained: "For me, the main motivation is to get beyond the image of Beethoven as this disembodied bust, to give people insight into this man who lives upstairs or next door, who writes this incredible music, but is such a tortured soul."

    CSI: Beethoven from Baltimore Symphony BA Haller 2008

  • I think an honest observer has to conclude the Brights's main motivation is their fear and loathing of the idea of a personal God, especially the one of Judeo-Christian vintage.

    Bleeping Bleepers 2005

  • I think an honest observer has to conclude the Brights's main motivation is their fear and loathing of the idea of a personal God, especially the one of Judeo-Christian vintage.

    Bleeping Bleepers 2005

  • Their main motivation is fear, so the certainty of getting their butt kicked is a strong motivator to behave.

    Think Progress » Frist and Torture: What Did He Know and When Did He Know It? 2005

  • His main motivation is to be a great teammate and to win.

    USATODAY.com - Number cruncher 2002

  • While she mostly works with high school students who are motivated by grades, my motivation is to be able to talk to the plumber, roofer, and my neighbors.

    Best Tips for Learning French - French Word-A-Day 2010

  • Also, Clint and Morgan begin their journey in the film as the result of a prostitute's being cut up, and their motivation is at least somewhat informed by a sense of righting the wrong done to her ... a sense of compassion.

    How Far is Too Far? 2008

  • “Identified motivation” is basically about attaching deep meaning and personal identity to a choice — this is who I am and what I do.

    Happy New Year! Your Resolutions Won’t Bring You Joy Maggie Koerth 2022

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