motivate
- 01 B1 Intermediate
to make someone want to do something, especially something that involves hard work.
to provide someone with a motive or incentive for doing something; to inspire or encourage a specific behaviour.
Simple“The coach gave a speech to motivate the team before the final game.”
In context“A good manager knows how to motivate their staff by recognising individual achievements rather than just focusing on quarterly targets.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice to describe a person's state of mind, as in 'highly motivated'.
PitfallThe teacher motivated to the students. The teacher motivated the students.The verb 'motivate' is transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition.
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
to be the reason why someone does something.
to serve as the underlying cause or reason for a particular action or decision.
Simple“The desire to help people is what motivates her to work as a nurse.”
In context“The investigators struggled to determine what had motivated the suspect to commit such a public crime without any apparent financial gain.”
UsageFrequently used in psychological or legal contexts to explain the 'why' behind a behaviour.
Usage highly motivate
“Anderson says much of his work involving clay deposits was originally motivated by the search for life on other planets.”
“We are typically motivated to engage with things that support these needs, which in turn has a positive impact on our mental health and well-being.”
From motive + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French motiver.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.