motivating

motivating — adjective

1. giving people a reason to feel keen about taking action, working harder, or cont

1.形容詞B1
釋義

giving people a reason to feel keen about taking action, working harder, or continuing toward a goal

例句

Andrés gave a motivating speech to the team before the final game.

motivating + speech (collocation for inspiring talk)

What Kemi found most motivating about the course was seeing real improvement every week.

find + something + motivating (pattern with object complement)

同義詞
  • inspiring

    stronger emotional lift, often used for speech or art

  • encouraging

    gentler tone, focuses on giving hope rather than driving action

  • stimulating

    emphasises mental excitement rather than will to act

反義詞
  • demotivating

    the direct opposite — causing someone to lose enthusiasm

  • discouraging

    making someone lose confidence or hope

用法筆記

Typically describes people, events, or materials that spark enthusiasm — e.g. a speech, a teacher, a training session. Less often used of abstract entities; for those, consider 'motivational' instead (e.g. a motivational quote).

常見錯誤

❌The bonus was very motivating me to work harder.
✅The bonus was very motivating for me and made me work harder.
💡'motivating' is an adjective and does not take a direct object; use 'motivating for someone' or restructure the sentence.

2. serving as the main reason or cause that shapes a person's choices, behaviour, o

2.形容詞B2
釋義

serving as the main reason or cause that shapes a person's choices, behaviour, or the way events develop

例句

The motivating factor behind Élise's move was to lead a new research lab in Nairobi.

motivating factor behind [decision]

Profit was the motivating force that pushed the company to cut production costs.

motivating force + that-clause

同義詞
  • driving

    nearly synonymous but slightly stronger emphasis on forward movement

  • underlying

    focuses on what is hidden or not immediately obvious

  • causal

    more technical, used in formal analysis rather than everyday speech

用法筆記

Commonly used in analytical or business contexts to name the hidden driver behind a decision. Subject often names an incentive, goal, or emotion (profit, fear, ambition, duty).

常見錯誤

❌The motivating factor of why I joined was...
✅The motivating factor behind my decision to join was...
💡use 'behind' rather than 'of why' for this collocation.