motivated

motivated — adjective

1. eager to succeed or to do something well because you care deeply about the resul

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

eager to succeed or to do something well because you care deeply about the result, rather than because you are forced.

Example

Ayesha is the most motivated person in our study group and always helps others.

most motivated — superlative with group context

Hamza stayed motivated by writing down three small goals each morning.

stayed motivated + by + gerund phrase (method)

Common collocations
  • highly motivated
  • strongly motivated
  • deeply motivated
  • stay motivated
  • feel motivated
  • keep someone motivated
  • motivated to succeed
  • motivated to learn
Synonyms
  • driven

    even stronger and more inner-directed; suggests an almost unstoppable force

  • enthusiastic

    focuses on eagerness and positive energy, less about sustained effort

  • determined

    stresses not giving up; slightly less about energy and more about persistence

  • keen

    British English; suggests a lively interest and willingness to try

Antonyms
  • unmotivated

    direct opposite; lacking desire or drive

  • apathetic

    broader; lacking interest or concern about anything

Grammar Patterns

someone is motivated + to-infinitive

someone stays / feels / remains motivated

adv + motivated (highly / strongly / deeply)

Usage Note

Frequently paired with 'to' + infinitive to name the goal (e.g., 'motivated to succeed'). Common degree adverbs include 'highly', 'strongly', 'very', and 'deeply'. The drive is internal — the person wants to achieve, not merely to avoid punishment.

Common Mistakes

I am very motivate to learn English.
I am very motivated to learn English.
'motivated' is the adjective; 'motivate' is the base verb form.
She is a very motivating student.' (when you mean she works hard)
She is a very motivated student.
'motivated' means she has drive herself; 'motivating' means she inspires others.

2. carried out because a named cause or goal lies behind it, especially when people

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

carried out because a named cause or goal lies behind it, especially when people question or examine that cause.

Example

The police believe the fire was politically motivated and not an accident.

politically motivated — adverb compound before noun referent

Christopher argued that the company's choice was purely financially motivated.

Common collocations
  • politically motivated
  • racially motivated
  • financially motivated
  • commercially motivated
  • ideologically motivated
  • personally motivated
  • motivated by greed
  • motivated by fear
Synonyms
  • intentional

    broader; focuses on the deliberate choice rather than the specific reason

  • calculated

    suggests careful planning, often with a negative shade

  • premeditated

    formal, often legal; stresses that the action was thought out in advance

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[adv] + motivated (politically / racially / financially)

motivated by + [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Commonly forms compound modifiers with an adverb: 'politically motivated', 'racially motivated', 'financially motivated', 'commercially motivated'. The adverb names the type of reason, and the modified noun is usually an action, event, or decision — not a person. Unlike sense 1, this sense does not describe someone's inner energy.

Common Mistakes

The attack was hate motivated.
The attack was hate-motivated.
compound adjectives before or after a noun need a hyphen.
The new policy is very motivated.' (confusing sense 1 with sense 2)
The new policy is politically motivated.
describe the reason with an adverb compound, not an enthusiasm word.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These five words all describe someone who wants to do something, but they emphasise different aspects. 'Motivated' is the most general word for having an inner desire to achieve a goal — it covers both the energy and the reason. 'Driven' is stronger and more urgent; a driven person feels an almost unstoppable force pushing them forward, sometimes at a personal cost. 'Enthusiastic' highlights positive energy and eagerness — an enthusiastic person shows visible excitement but may not keep going when the work gets hard. 'Determined' focuses on persistence: a determined person refuses to give up, even if they no longer feel excited. 'Keen' (common in British English) expresses lively interest and willingness, but is usually lighter than the others. For example, a motivated student studies hard because she values good grades; a driven entrepreneur works 80-hour weeks; an enthusiastic volunteer shows up full of energy; a determined athlete keeps training after an injury; and a keen beginner is happy to try anything new.

motivated ↗driven ↗enthusiastic ↗determined ↗keen ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • motivated person
  • motivated student
  • motivated employee
  • motivated workforce
  • motivated team

Adverbs

  • highly motivated
  • strongly motivated
  • deeply motivated
  • genuinely motivated
  • truly motivated
  • well motivated
  • politically motivated
  • racially motivated
  • financially motivated
  • commercially motivated
  • ideologically motivated

Phrases

  • stay motivated
  • feel motivated
  • keep someone motivated
  • highly motivated individual
  • politically motivated crime
  • racially motivated attack

Prepositions

  • motivated by (something)
  • motivated for (a purpose)
  • motivated toward (a goal)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The adjective 'motivated' was formed in the mid-1800s from the verb 'motivate', which itself was built from 'motive' — a reason or inner force that makes someone act. 'Motive' entered English in the 1300s from Old French 'motif', which came from the Latin adjective 'motivus' (meaning 'that which moves'). The Latin root 'movere' (to move) is also the source of 'move', 'motion', 'motor', and 'momentum'. So the original picture behind 'motivated' is being set in motion from within.