motivation
Pluralmotivations
- 1A reason or incentive that drives someone to do something.
Like the carrot dangled in front of a donkey: the goal that keeps you moving.
The promise of a bonus gave the team a strong motivation to finish early.
People volunteer for many different motivations, from kindness to curiosity.
Similarreason, motive, incentive
Oppositedisincentive, deterrent
- 2The willingness or inner drive to take action and follow through on what you set out to do.
Like an engine running inside you: when it is strong, you keep going.
Students with high motivation tend to keep working even when tasks get hard.
His motivation dropped sharply after the team lost three games in a row.
Similardrive, enthusiasm, ambition, determination
Oppositeapathy, indifference
- 3Something that serves to motivate a person, such as a goal, reward, or fear.
For many runners, the cheering crowd is the strongest motivation.
The chance of promotion proved to be a real motivation for the staff.
Similarincentive, spur, stimulus, inspiration
Oppositedeterrent, disincentive
- 4The action or process of giving someone the drive or reason to do something.
Effective motivation of employees requires more than just higher pay.
The manager's skill at motivation of the staff kept morale high through the slump.
Similarencouragement, inspiration
Oppositediscouragement
Note
The word-building behind this sense is plain: motivate plus -ion, the suffix that turns a verb into the act of doing it, even though English took the word ready-made from French. Because this meaning names something done to other people, it pairs naturally with an of-phrase for those on the receiving end (motivation of employees), much like education of children. That sets it apart from the inner drive, which belongs to the person who has it.
- 5In advertising research, a score measuring how much a commercial's rational and emotional appeal makes consumers inclined to consider, visit, or purchase what it advertises.
The agency reported strong motivation scores for the holiday campaign.
Low motivation in the test led the brand to redesign the commercial.
Note
Advertising research turns the everyday word into a number. In this sense a commercial earns motivation; a person does not feel it. The rating can be given as a percentage of viewers who say they now want to consider, visit or buy something. It usually appears in compounds such as motivation scores, and it measures stated intention rather than the inner drive itself.
Practice
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Origin
From French "motivation", formed from "motivate" plus the suffix "-ion".