motivate

to stimulate toward action

1 / 1

A young adult worker's enthusiasm fades after a supervisor dismissively rejects a carefully made project, slumped shoulders and unfinished model, no text.

verb

demotivate

dee-MOH-tih-vayt/ˌdiːˈməʊtɪveɪt/

To make someone less willing or enthusiastic to act.

Etymology

deEnglishdown, away, or reversing an action

+motivateEnglishto stimulate toward action

Motivate means to stimulate someone toward action; de- reverses that effect. To demotivate people is therefore to weaken or remove the incentive that makes them willing to act.

Full entry

Related word entries

demotivate