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REFERENCE

motivation

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˌmoʊtəˈveɪʃən// UK //mˌəʊtɪvˈeɪʃən// mo·ti·va·tion General-service

n. the reason or desire you have for doing something. It is the feeling that makes you want to work hard to reach a goal.

n. the internal or external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role, or subject. Often used to describe the underlying rationale for a specific action or behavior.


SIMPLE

High pay is a strong motivation for many employees.

CONTEXTUAL

The marketing team studied consumer motivation to understand why people prefer organic products over cheaper alternatives.

COMPLEX

Psychologists distinguish between intrinsic motivation, which comes from personal satisfaction, and extrinsic motivation, which is driven by external rewards like money or status.

Synonyms
Origin

From French motivation. Morphologically motivate + -ion.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general quality of being motivated; countable when referring to a specific reason for an action.

Pitfall

the motivation of learnthe motivation to learnWhen followed by a verb, this noun requires the infinitive with 'to' rather than a prepositional phrase with 'of'.

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