Standard Lemma guide

motivate

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈməʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/
  • US, uncommon: [ˈmoʊ.ɾɪ.veɪt]
  • US: /ˈmoʊ.təˌveɪt/
  • US: [ˈmoʊ.ɾəˌveɪt]
  • CMU ARPABET: M OW1 T AH0 V EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The weekly staff meeting was meant to motivate employees.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drive, spur, abet, actuate, goose, fuel, light a fire under, send, sting, bring about, cheer, draw, encourage, egg on, engender, evoke, excite, foment, goad, grill, ignite, impel, incite, induce, inflame, instigate, invoke, lash, motive, motivate, move, obligate, oblige, push, promote, prompt, provoke, rouse, set off, spark off, spur on, stimulate, stir, stir up, stoke, tempt, urge, whet, whip up

Antonyms: demotivate, discourage, dissuade

2

verb

Meaning 2

To animate; to propel; to cause to take action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • He was motivated purely by self-interest.
  • Steam-motivated pumps are used in manufacturing.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drive, move, push

Antonyms: demotivate, halt, stop

3

verb

Meaning 3

give an incentive for action

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • This moved me to sacrifice my career

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: actuate, propel, move, prompt, incite

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cause, do, make

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Anglo-Norman motifder. Middle French motifder. Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh1- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh1éyetider. Proto-Italic *moweō Latin moveō Latin mōtus Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Late Latin mōtīvumder. Middle English motif English motive Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh2tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English motivate From motive + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French motiver.

Across languages

Translations

43 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَثَّ (ḥaṯṯa) — to encourage
  • Bulgarian: мотиви́рам (motivíram) — to encourage
  • Bulgarian: подбуждам (podbuždam) — to encourage
  • Catalan: motivar — to encourage
  • Chinese: 激发 (jīfā) — to encourage
  • Czech: motivovat — to encourage
  • Dutch: motiveren — to encourage
  • Esperanto: motivi — to encourage
  • Finnish: motivoida — to encourage
  • French: motiver — to encourage
  • Georgian: შეგულიანება (šegulianeba) — to encourage
  • German: motivieren — to encourage
  • Greek: παρακινώ (parakinó) — to encourage
  • Hebrew: דרבן (dirbén) — to encourage
  • Hindi: प्रेरित करना (prerit karnā) — to encourage
  • Hungarian: motivál — to encourage
  • Icelandic: mótivera — to encourage
  • Icelandic: hvetja — to encourage
  • Irish: spreag — to encourage
  • Italian: motivare — to encourage
  • Japanese: 動機を与える (dōki o ataeru) — to encourage
  • Kazakh: ынталандыру (yntalandyru) — to encourage
  • Khmer: លើកទឹកចិត្ត (ləək tɨk cət) — to encourage
  • Korean: ...에 동기를 주다 (...e donggireul juda) — to encourage
  • Latin: corrōborō — to encourage
  • Māori: whakaohooho — to encourage
  • Māori: whakahihiko — to encourage
  • Norman: motiver — to encourage
  • Norwegian Bokmål: motivere — to encourage
  • Persian: برانگیختن (barângixtan) — to encourage
  • Polish: motywować — to encourage
  • Polish: zmotywować — to encourage
  • Portuguese: motivar — to encourage
  • Romanian: motiva — to encourage
  • Russian: мотиви́ровать (motivírovatʹ) — to encourage
  • Serbo-Croatian: motivírati — to encourage
  • Spanish: motivar — to encourage
  • Swedish: motivera — to encourage
  • Telugu: ప్రేరేపించు (prērēpiñcu) — to encourage
  • Ukrainian: мотивува́ти (motyvuváty) — to encourage
  • Vietnamese: khích lệ — to encourage
  • Vietnamese: động viên — to encourage
  • Vietnamese: khuyến khích — to encourage