Synonyms for motivate
ˈmoʊ təˌveɪtmo·ti·vate

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:4.0 / 5 votes

1. motivateverb

   Antonyms:
   demotivate

2. motivateverb

   Antonyms:
   demotivate

3. motivateverb

   Antonyms:
   demotivate

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.0 / 2 votes

1. motivate, actuate, propel, move, prompt, inciteverb

   give an incentive for action

   "This moved me to sacrifice my career"

   Synonyms:
   spark off, incite, remind, act, trip, spark, run, propel, impress, strike, impel, instigate, trigger off, move, displace, make a motion, trigger, inspire, prod, proceed, affect, be active, set off, go, prompt, activate, locomote, touch off, cue, travel, egg on, actuate, stir up

Editors ContributionRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. actuate

   anything that pushes someone or something forward

   her mother's motivational talk spurred her daughter to endure high school.

   Submitted by rinat on June 1, 2017  

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:4.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "motivate":

   motivating, justify, encourage, inspire, stimulate

How to pronounce motivate?

How to say motivate in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use motivate in a sentence?

1. Hillary Clinton:

   I understand the grief and the incredible sense of loss that can motivate that, as other members of families who’ve lost loved ones have said, that's not what they heard. I don't hold any ill feeling for someone who, in that moment, may not fully recall everything that was or wasn't said.

2. Byron Román:

   My post was mainly to inspire or motivate younger people to do something, it's about people going out and grabbing rakes, bags and gloves, and cleaning up their areas.

3. Brad Feld:

   I can’t motivate another person, but [I can] create a context in which they are motivated, and part of being a leader is to understand what motivates other people, most people struggle to understand how somebody else is motivated because they do it based on what motivates them.

4. Michael Harriot:

   Someone, probably a white man, thought that the image would resonate with black people and motivate them to get out the vote.

5. Kellyanne Conway:

   Whether it is student loan forgiveness or pardoning marijuana possession convictions, a bereft Biden tries hard to change the subject and get people who dislike him to dislike him a little bit less, this is less likely to motivate voters than it is to embarrass Vice President Kamala Harris. AsSan Francisco’s top prosecutor between 2004 and 2010, her office handled more than 1,900 marijuana convictions. Even if this makes sense legally or practically to Biden, he runs the risk as being seen again as ignoring the broader and deeper concerns surrounding violent crime surges and an inescapably devastating economic picture.