MOTIVATED Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

motivated 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of motivated

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.

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motivated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of motivate

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.

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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

Adjective

Years of poor quality content and politically motivated projects have taken their toll on subscriber growth. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Those two Russian assassins turned out to be significantly more skilled than the horses and perhaps more motivated, too, in seeking revenge for the killing of one of their own. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026

Verb

The study found that saving money motivated consumers more than environmental reasons for repair. — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026 The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, known as PNAT, said its investigation included looking at whether the shooting was racially or religiously motivated. — CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for motivated

Recent Examples of Synonyms for motivated

Adjective

Both players are diligent with preparation and exude a toughness that coaches love.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Receiving that crown of life comes through diligent prayer, and we are helped along the way at various checkpoints.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of diligent

Verb

Alison Linder, assistant sustainability coordinator at Occidental College, which has a thrift store of its own with Halloween costumes in stock, encouraged people to organize their own swaps with neighbors, friends or school classmates.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly dismissed previous caution of AI tools and encouraged rapid autonomous innovation at the Pentagon.

— Chiara Eisner, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Adjective

The overwhelming problem of plastic From flax that can be used in clothing and cars to robotic skimmers to stricter laws, determined researchers, activists and volunteers fight an industry intent on making more plastic.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
That witness said Foss left a cellphone behind after their interaction, which was later determined to have belonged to Lussier.

— Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of determined

Verb

But my encounter with Washington’s new generation has persuaded me of how deeply this party is now shaped by the ideological pillars of MAGA.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Mamut and Grönberg were persuaded by Paul Best, a new arrival at Elliott, who believed that the eclipse of brick-and-mortar retail by online commerce had been overstated, and that certain chains could flourish if well capitalized.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of persuaded

Adjective

As an open source scripting language for building dynamic websites and web apps, PHP has come to be a de facto building block for the Web.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
This capital intensive model forces SpaceX to rely heavily on debt financing or external liquidity to bridge cash deficits, a dynamic analysts warn remains a key drag on market sentiment.

— , CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of dynamic

Verb

But while Cartman and Ike are in Sephora, they get enticed into going into the backrooms with an employee, which look straight out of Kane Parsons’ horror film.

— Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
During the mid-2000s, some tribal members, enticed by a chance at life-changing money, got involved in moving people and drugs, fueling cycles of arrest and incarceration that exacerbated challenges the community was already facing.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of enticed

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Style

“Motivated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motivated. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of motivated

adjective

verb

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