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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Knight also developed rituals to stay motivated. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025 Real Madrid against Barcelona is often described as the biggest game in club football, with everyone involved always super motivated and everyone watching usually completely enthralled. Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025 Guys were really motivated to get this one tonight. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025 My mistake was playing in the very first group, when the coaches were fresh and motivated, with no cushion on the scoreboard yet. Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 25 Oct. 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 29 Oct. 2025.

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