Motivation is the inner drive or reason that makes a person want to do something and keep doing it. It can come from inside, like curiosity or pride, or from outside, like rewards or pressure.
From *motive* plus the noun-forming suffix *-ation*, meaning “the act or process of.” It’s rooted in Latin *motivus* and *movere* “to move,” so it literally refers to what moves a person to act.
Try Another Word