Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Motivation |
MotivationNoun1. The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action; the reason for the action; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "motivation" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1550. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Business | As the most compelling inner determinants of human behavior, -- are also called drives, urges, impulses, needs, wants, tensions, and willful cravings. Source: European Union. (references) |
| In the positive sense, those factors or forces, whether physical, psychological, or other, which influence or encourage individuals to act. . . to achieve their particular goals. . Source: European Union. (references) | |
Medicine | Term employed generally for the phenomena involved in the operation of incentives or drives. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Important physical needs tend to generate more powerful emotions and thus more powerful motivation than secondary goals. This is described in models like Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A distinction can also be made between direct and indirect motivation: In direct motivation, the action satisfies the need, in indirect motivation, the action satisfies an intermediate goal, which can in turn lead to the satisfaction of a need. In work environments, money is typically viewed as a powerful indirect motivation, whereas job satisfaction and a pleasant social environment are more direct motivations. However, this example highlights well that an indirect motivational factor (money) towards an important goal (having food, clothes etc.) may well be more powerful than the direct motivation provided by an enjoyable workplace.
The most obvious form of motivation is coercion, where the avoidance of pain or other negative consequences has an immediate effect. When such coercion is permanent, it is considered slavery. While coercion is considered morally reprehensible in many philosophies, it is widely practiced on prisoners or in the form of conscription.
The self-control of motivation is increasingly understood as a subset of emotional intelligence; a person may be highly intelligent according to a more conservative definition (as measured by many intelligence tests), yet unmotivated to dedicate this intelligence to certain tasks.
The control of motivation is only understood to a limited extent. There are many different approaches of motivation training, but many of these are considered pseudoscientific by critics. To understand how to control motivation it is first necessary to understand why many people lack motivation.
In recent years, non-work related activities like Internet surfing have become an increasing concern for employers in industralized nations. Some companies have used prohibitive tactics to counter this perceived threat, others try to define certain limits, and many merely take action in extreme cases. Even for home users, Internet addiction is increasingly perceived as a risk. Similar concerns accompany the use of video games and television. It is true that for many people, these activities have reached the point of psychological addiction.
This can be explained with a positive feedback loop. The aforementioned activities can generate quick, positive emotional responses of different types -- the humor of sitcoms, the ersatz family of soap operas, the endorphine release from action movies and video games, or the curiosity satisfied by visiting news sites. It is known that connections in the human brain's neural network are intensified by repeated activity, which means that it is often easier to continue to do what one is doing than to do something else. This is how a daily habit can, over time, turn into a psychological addiction that is hard to break.
The key question for motivation is then: Which activities generate a positive emotional response, and which ones do not? The answers to this question are increasingly explored by neuropsychology. It is known that, for most people, activities that involve powerful audiovisual input have a stronger emotional effect. Purely text-based information, on the other hand, is usually not very motivating. This seems intuitive given the fact that reading is a trained higher cortical skill, whereas large brain areals are congenitally devoted to processing audiovisual input. For this class of information, there are simply more connections from the processing areals of the brain's cortex to the lower emotional centers of the limbic system. It therefore seems logical to assume that motivation can be created easier through multimedia input.
Since humans are social animals, it also appears natural that social connections play a crucial role in motivation. Not much is known about the way the human brain deals with social relationships, but for the sake of the argument, it can be assumed that social connections are merely very powerful, emotionally encoded memories connected to others. An idea which is connected to these memories thus triggers the emotions. It follows logically, then, that negative social relationships are likely to decrease motivation, and that intrinsic desire to act has to be substituted within these relationships with coercion. For teachers and managers alike, it then seems desirable to maintain such positive relationships in order to provide a motivating atmosphere -- however, personal reasons may stand in the way of this goal. This is why many motivation control programs try to teach managers to find outlets for their personal feelings other than their employees.
Modern tomography has provided solid empirical support for the psychological theory that emotional programming is largely defined in childhood. Harold Chugani, Medical Director of the PET Clinic at the Children's Hospital of Michigan and professor of pediatrics, neurology and radiology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, has found that children's brains are much more capable of consuming new information (linked to emotions) than those of adults. Brain activity in cortical regions is about twice as high in children as in adults from the third to the ninth year of life. After that period, it declines constantly to the low levels of adulthood. Brain volume, on the other hand, is already at about 95% of adult levels in the ninth year of life.
Data by Harold Chugani on brain activity, 1996 (click image for source details). The red dots show activity in the frontal cortex, the "youngest" region in the human brain from an evolutionary perspective. It is important for analysis and creativity. The blue curve, copied from another diagram of the same source, shows the development of brain volume through childhood. As can be seen from the data, brain activity in children is much higher than in adults, making early influences critical for motivation in later life.
This is crucial to the understanding of motivation as well. Different people can generate positive emotional responses from different actions. Mathematicians may be able to enjoy dealing with complex formulas, programmers feel the same way about computer code, musicians may feel "in tune with themselves" when composing or playing, and so forth. Given the above knowledge about the early programming of the human brain, and given that memories are encoded together with emotions, it must be concluded that at least part of these different emotional responses are generated during childhood. A child who grows up watching television but not reading any books may find it difficult in later life to be motivated by purely textual information; a child neglected by its parents may be unable to make motivating social connections later.
A more controversial conclusion is that exposing children to too much simplistic, emotionally driven entertainment will "dull" their brains and make them incapable of acting far outside the narrow boundaries of indirect motivation to satisfy primary needs (money to survive) and quick positive emotional response (TV, games etc.). If this view is correct, it would be very difficult to fix these problems in adult life.
The education systems of most countries do take little of the above discussion into account, to the disdain of many scientists who study them. Learning is frequently equated with memorizing, and negative conditioning (in some countries to the point of corporal punishment) is common. Positive experiences, on the other hand, are often deliberately prohibited. Many schools (especially in the United States) have bans against public displays of affection, such as hugging and kissing, and teenage sexuality is frequently considered highly problematic, countered with severe punishment and sexual abstinence campaigns. While these actions are taken out of the belief that they are necessary to prevent negative consequences such as teenage pregnancies, groups like the Coalition for Positive Sexuality argue that this kind of social control harms teenagers while failing to accomplish any useful goal. Whether physical experiences are counted as part of a positive environment or not, it is quite probable that such an environment is necessary for a positive learning atmosphere.
Besides the very direct approaches to motivation, beginning in early life, there are solutions which are more abstract but perhaps nevertheless more practical for self-motivation. Virtually every motivation guidebook includes at least one chapter about the proper organization of one's tasks and goals. It is usually suggested that it is critical to maintain a list of tasks, with a distinction between those which are completed and those which are not, thereby moving some of the required motivation for their completion from the tasks themselves into a "meta-task", namely the processing of the tasks in the task list, which can become a routine. The viewing of the list of completed tasks may also be considered motivating, as it can create a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
Most electronic to-do lists have this basic functionality, although the distinction between completed and non-completed tasks is not always clear (completed tasks are sometimes simply deleted, instead of kept in a separate list).
Other forms of information organization may also be motivational, such as the use of mindmaps to organize one's ideas, and thereby "train" the neural network that is the human brain to focus on the given task. More simpler forms of idea notation such as simple bullet-point style lists may also be sufficient, or even more useful to less visually oriented persons.
One interesting aspect that has been somewhat neglected by sociology is the addictive nature of role playing games, which work with a system of experience points and "levels" to motivate the player to keep going; when he has gained enough points, he can advance to the next level, thereby getting new abilities and a higher status in the community, if any. While many electronic motivation systems have a basic concept of priorities, few explore the possibility of using actual scores as a motivational factor. However, some online communities that have nothing to do with gaming use similar systems; notably, the Everything2 collaborative writing community employs a complex voting/experience system. Perhaps such systems can also be used on a smaller scale.Types of motivation
Controlling motivation
Early programming
Organization
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Motivation."
Synonyms: MotivationSynonyms: motive (n), need (n). (additional references) |
| Synonym by domain: drive-in (business, medicine). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | It doesn't have motivation. (Galaxy Quest; writing credit: David Howard) Allright, you just have to try and figure out its motivation. (Galaxy Quest; writing credit: David Howard and Robert Gordon.) You're own presence should be motivation enough. (Higher Learning; writing credit: John Singleton) | |
Lyrics | She says she lives for me, Ovation, Her own motivation, (Semi-Charmed Life; performing artist: Third Eye Blind) | |
Clever | Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. (references; author: unknown) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Theater & Movies | |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | Wizo Aviv springs into the future : its motivation, Jewish education. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
Peter F. Drucker | We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it. |
Walter Savage Landor | We talk on principal, but act on motivation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 | A sense of inferiority affects the motivation of a child to learn. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Strong motivation can facilitate the treatment process. (references) | |
Some lose their motivation and become dependent on family members. (references) | ||
Additional factors include motivation, handedness, and educational level. (references) | ||
Business | The WRC's main aim in making these strategic plans available to the research community is to provide guidelines and motivation for research activities in South Africa in the water-related fields most deserving of attention and commitment. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Philippines | The ASG, which from time to time makes claims to a political or religious motivation, continued to engage in terrorism for profit. (references) |
Libya | According to recent reports, individuals rarely are harassed because of their religious practices, unless such practices are perceived as having a political motivation. (references) | |
India | There is strong evidence that the NCM report misrepresented the victims by claiming that the victims were entirely satisfied that there was no religious motivation behind the violence; in fact, Christian groups in the north believe that these incidents were religiously motivated. (references) | |
Economic History | India | These representatives may have little motivation to develop new markets or new customers. (references) |
Hungary | Many foreign investors have praised the productivity, motivation and adaptability of Hungarian workers. (references) | |
Slovenia | About two-thirds of Slovenia's trade is with EU members, a primary motivation for seeking EU membership. (references) | |
Human Rights | Russia | The main motivation behind such cases apparently is ransom, although some cases have political or religious overtones. (references) |
South Africa | Some observers believed that the killings were politically motivated; however, the motivation remained unknown at year's end. (references) | |
Nigeria | In addition court officials often lack the proper equipment, training, and motivation to perform their duties, again due primarily to their inadequate compensation. (references) | |
Minorities | Czech Republic | Observers believed that the actual figures were higher; nonetheless, developments during the year indicated a positive trend toward recognizing the racial motivation of such crimes. (references) |
Political Economy | Sudan | The threat of worker unrest was a strong motivation for the Government's extension of the emergency decree in December. (references) |
Sudan | During the year, Islamic students harassed, beat, and otherwise abused non-Sudanese African students; part of the motivation for such acts appeared to be religious. (references) | |
Trade | Burma | The GOB's motivation for many of these restrictions appears to be an effort to capture scarce foreign exchange. (references) |
Italy | The length of the period depends on the commodity involved, the credit standing of the buyer, and the motivation of the seller. (references) | |
Women | Bangladesh | The most common motivation for acid-throwing attacks against women is revenge by a rejected suitor; land disputes are another leading cause of the acid attacks. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Rush Limbaugh | If you happen to make money as a business, that's okay, but that should not be your prime motivation. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Motivation" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.73% of the time. "Motivation" is used about 1,478 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.73% | 1,474 | 5,503 |
| Noun (common) | 0.2% | 3 | 202,518 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.07% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,478 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "motivation": motivation-arousal, motivation-the. | |
Ending with "motivation": self-motivation. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "motivation"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | shkak (account, cause, come off, motive, occasion, parent, reason, root, score, spring), arsye (account, argument, cause, consideration, justice, justification, matter, motive, nous, occasion, place, plea, reason, sense, spring, why), arësye (account, argument, cause, consideration, justice, justification, matter, motive, nous, occasion, place, plea, reason, sense, spring, why). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | حافز (impulse, incentive, motive, push, reaction, stimulant), حث (actuate, admonish, debriefing, dub, encourage, encouragement, goad, gun, hurry, impel, incitation, incite, induce, induce to speak, inducement, interest, motivate, motive, persuade, precipitate, press, prod, prompt, prompting, propel, provocation, provoke, push on, recommend, rouse, solicit, solicitation, spur, stimulate, stimulation, stir, tempt), تحريك (mobilization, shake). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | обосновка (rationale), обосноваване, мотивировка, мотивиране, подбуди. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 動機 (intention, motive), 刺激 (fueled, fueling, Goaded, Goading, incentive, Jarred, jarring, motivate, motivating, stimulate, stimulated, stimulating, stimulation, Stimuli, stimulus). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | motivace. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | motivation. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | motivatie. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | motiviteco, motiviĝo, motivado. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | motivaatio, vaikutin (account, motive, reason), syy (account, cause, fault, fibre, filament, ground, occasion, reason), peruste (argument, basis, ground, reason). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | motivation (motive). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | motivation. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | κίνητρο (incentive, motive, stimulus). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | מוטיבצי", מ יע (cause, impulse, motive, motor, spur, stimulus), " ע" (agitation, impetus, propulsion). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | motiváció, indíték (cause, ground, grounds, impulse, inducement, motion, motive, persuasive, reason, stimulus), okadatolás, megokolás (justification), indokolás (justification, preamble), indok (argument, cause, plea). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | alasan (dodge, excuse, ground, reason). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | motivazione (justification, reason). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 刺激 (encouragement, excitement, impetus, incentive, irritation, stimulus). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | モチベーション , し'き (drama in verse, encouragement, excitement, historical drama, impetus, incentive, irritation, stimulus). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 동기부여. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | otivationmay motivação (incentive). (various references) мотивация. (various references) motivacija, pobuda (impulse, incetive, motive). (various references) motivación. (various references) motivering (jusification). (various references) motivasyon, hareket ettirme, güdü (drive, go, impetus, incentive, motive, numen, spur), dürtü (challenge, compulsion, drive, ginger, impetus, impulse, impulsion, incentive, motive, spur, stimulation, urge). (various references) спонукання (abetment, excitement, prompting, push), спонука (impetus, impulse, impulsion, incentive, motion, motive, oestrus, persuasive, provocation, urge), мотивування. (various references) sự thúc đẩy (actuation, advancement, urge), động cơ thúc đẩy. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "motivation": motivational, motivationally, motivations. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "motivation": remotivation. (additional references) | |
Words containing "motivation": remotivations. (additional references) | |
| |
"Motivation" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: motavation, motivaion, motivationa, motiveation, motivtion, motovation, motvation, Multivision. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "motivation" (pronounced mō'tuvā"shun) |
| 7 | -t u v ā" sh u n | activation. |
| 6 | -u v ā" sh u n | aggravation, depravation, deprivation, derivation, elevation, excavation, innovation, renovation. |
| 5 | -v ā" sh u n | conservation, cultivation, inactivation, observation, ovation, preservation, privation, reservation, salvation, starvation. |
| 4 | -ā" sh u n | abbreviation, abdication, aberration, abomination, abrogation, acceleration, acclimation, accommodation, accreditation, accumulation, accusation, acidification, adaptation, adjudication, administration, admiration, adoration, adulation, advocation, affectation, affiliation, affirmation, agglomeration, agitation, alienation, allegation, alleviation, allocation, alphabetization, alteration, altercation, amalgamation, amelioration, amortization, amplification, amputation, animation, annexation, annihilation, annotation, anticipation, antidiscrimination, appellation, application, appreciation, approbation, appropriation, approximation, arbitration, argumentation, articulation, aspiration, assassination, assimilation, association, augmentation, authentication, authorization, automation, aviation, avocation, balkanization, bifurcation, calculation, calibration, cancellation, cannibalization, capitalization, capitulation, carnation, castration, categorization, causation, celebration, centralization, certification, cessation, cetacean, characterization, citation, civilization, clarification, classification, coagulation, codification, cogeneration, cogitation, cohabitation, collaboration, collectivization, colonization, coloration, colorization, combination, commemoration, commendation, commercialization, communication, communization, compensation, compilation, complication, computation, computerization, concatenation, concentration, conciliation, condemnation, condensation, confabulation, confederation, configuration, confirmation, confiscation, conflagration, confrontation, conglomeration, congratulation, congregation, conjugation, connotation, consecration, consideration, consolation, consolidation, constellation, consternation, constipation, consultation, consummation, contamination, contemplation, continuation, conversation, convocation, cooperation, coordination, coronation, corporation, correlation, corroboration, creation, cremation, criminalization, crustacean, culmination, dalmatian, damnation, decaffeination, decapitation, deceleration, decentralization, decertification, declaration, decontamination, decoration, decriminalization, dedication, defamation, deflation, deforestation, deformation, degeneration, degradation, dehumanization, dehydration, deification, deinstitutionalization, delegation, deliberation, delineation, demarcation, demilitarization, demobilization, democratization, demodulation, demonization, demonstration, demoralization, denationalization, denomination, denuclearization, denunciation, depopulation, deportation, depreciation, depredation, deregulation, desalination, desalinization, desecration, desegregation, desiccation, designation, desolation, desperation, destabilization, destination, determination, detonation, detoxication, detoxification, devaluation, devastation, deviation, dictation, differentiation, dilatation, dilation, discoloration, discontinuation, discrimination, disembarkation, disinclination, disinflation, disinformation, disintegration, dislocation, disorganization, disorientation, dispensation, disputation, disqualification, dissemination, dissertation, dissipation, dissociation, distillation, diversification, divination, documentation, domestication, domination, donation, dramatization, duplication, duration, echolocation, edification, education, ejaculation, elaboration, elation, electrification, elimination, elongation, emanation, emancipation, embarkation, emigration, emulation, enumeration, equalization, equitation, equivocation, eradication, escalation, estimation, evacuation, evaluation, evaporation, evocation, exacerbation, exaggeration, examination, exasperation, excitation, exclamation, excommunication, exfoliation, exhalation, exhilaration, exhortation, exhumation, exoneration, expatriation, expectation, experimentation, expiration, explanation, explication, exploitation, exploration, expropriation, extermination, extrapolation, fabrication, facilitation, falsification, fascination, federation, fermentation, fertilization, fibrillation, figuration, filtration, fixation, flirtation, flotation, fluctuation, fluoridation, foliation, formation, formulation, fortification, foundation, fragmentation, frustration, fumigation, gasification, gastrulation, generalization, generation, gentrification, germination, gestation, glaciation, globalization, glorification, gradation, graduation, granulation, gratification, gravitation, gyration, habitation, hallucination, harmonization, hesitation, hibernation, hospitalization, humiliation, hybridization, hydration, hydrogenation, hyperinflation, identification, illumination, illustration, imagination, imitation, immigration, immunization, impersonation, implantation, implementation, implication, importation, impregnation, improvisation, imputation, inauguration, incantation, incapacitation, incarceration, incarnation, inclination, incoordination, incorporation, incrimination, incrustation, incubation, indemnification, indentation, indexation, indication, indignation, indoctrination, industrialization, infatuation, infestation, infiltration, inflammation, inflation, information, inhabitation, inhalation, initiation, inoculation, insemination, insinuation, inspiration, installation, instigation, institutionalization, instrumentation, insubordination, insulation, integration, intensification, internationalization, interpretation, interrogation, intimation, intimidation, intonation, intoxication, inundation, invalidation, investigation, invitation, invocation, ionization, irradiation, irrigation, irritation, isolation, jubilation, justification, laceration, lactation, legalization, legislation, levitation, liberalization, liberation, libration, ligation, limitation, liquidation, litigation, localization, location, lubrication, machination, magnetization, magnification, malformation, manifestation, manipulation, marginalization, masturbation, maturation, maximization, mechanization, mediation, medication, meditation, menstruation, migration, mineralization, miniaturization, ministration, misallocation, misapplication, misappropriation, miscalculation, mischaracterization, miscommunication, miscreation, misidentification, misinformation, misinterpretation, misrepresentation, mitigation, mobilization, moderation, modernization, modification, modulation, molestation, monopolization, multiplication, mummification, mutation, mutilation, narration, nation, nationalization, naturalization, navigation, negation, negotiation, neutralization, nitration, nomination, nondiscrimination, nonproliferation, normalization, notation, notification, nucleation, nullification, obfuscation, obligation, occupation, operation, optimization, oration, orchestration, ordination, organisation, organization, orientation, origination, ornamentation, oscillation, ossification, ostentation, overpopulation, overregulation, overvaluation, ovulation, oxidation, pacification, pagination, palpitation, participation, pasteurization, penetration, perforation, permutation, perpetuation, personalization, personification, perspiration, perturbation, pigmentation, plantation, polarization, politicization, pollination, pontification, popularization, population, precipitation, predestination, prefabrication, premeditation, preoccupation, preparation, presentation, pressurization, privatization, probation, proclamation, procrastination, procreation, profanation, prognostication, proliferation, pronunciation, propagation, proration, prostration, protestation, provocation, publication, punctuation, purification, qualification, quantification, quotation, radiation, radicalization, ramification, ratification, rationalization, reaffirmation, realization, reallocation, reauthorization, recalculation, recantation, recapitalization, recertification, recitation, reclamation, reclassification, recommendation, reconciliation, reconfiguration, reconfirmation, reconsideration, recreation, recrimination, rectification, recuperation, redecoration, rededication, reevaluation, reexamination, reflation, reforestation, reformation, refrigeration, refutation, regeneration, regimentation, registration, regulation, rehabilitation, rehydration, reincarnation, reincorporation, reinterpretation, reinvigoration, reiteration, rejuvenation, relation, relaxation, relocation, remediation, remuneration, renationalization, renegotiation, renomination, renunciation, reorganization, reparation, repatriation, replication, representation, repudiation, reputation, reregulation, resignation, respiration, restoration, resuscitation, retaliation, retardation, reunification, revaluation, revelation, reverberation, revitalization, revocation, rotation, rumination, sanctification, sanitation, saponification, saturation, securitization, sedation, sedimentation, segmentation, segregation, sensation, separation, sequestration, simplification, simulation, situation, socialization, solicitation, sophistication, specialization, specification, speculation, stabilization, stagflation, stagnation, standardization, station, sterilization, stimulation, stipulation, strangulation, subluxation, subordination, subsidization, substantiation, suburbanization, suffocation, summation, superstation, syndication, tabulation, taxation, telecommunication, temptation, termination, titillation, toleration, transformation, transillumination, translation, transplantation, transportation, trepidation, triangulation, tribulation, undervaluation, unification, unionization, urbanization, usurpation, utilization, vacation, vaccination, vacillation, validation, valuation, vaporization, variation, vegetation, ventilation, verification, vibration, victimization, vilification, vindication, violation, visitation, visualization, vocation, vulgarization, westernization. |
| 3 | -sh u n | abduction, abolition, abortion, absolution, absorption, abstraction, academician, accession, accretion, acquisition, action, addiction, addition, admission, admonition, adoption, advection, affection, affliction, aggression, alliteration, alternation, ambition, ammunition, antiabortion, anticorruption, apparition, apportion, apprehension, ascension, ashen, assertion, assumption, attention, attraction, attribution, attrition, auction, audition, beautician, benediction, brutalization, caption, carburetion, caution, circulation, circumspection, clinician, coalition, coercion, cognition, collection, commission, commotion, compassion, competition, completion, complexion, composition, comprehension, compression, compulsion, compunction, conception, conceptualization, concession, concoction, concussion, condescension, condition, conduction, confection, confession, conjunction, connection, conniption, conscription, constitution, constriction, construction, consumption, contention, contortion, contraception, contraction, contradiction, contraption, contribution, contrition, convection, convention, conviction, convolution, convulsion, correction, corruption, counterrevolution, crucifixion, cushion, deception, decimation, decommission, decomposition, decompression, deconstruction, deduction, defection, definition, deletion, demolition, demotion, dentition, depiction, depletion, deposition, depression, dereliction, description, desertion, destitution, destruction, detection, detention, deterioration, devolution, devotion, diction, dietitian, diffraction, digression, dilution, dimension, diminution, direction, disaffection, disconnection, discretion, discussion, disinfection, disposition, disruption, dissatisfaction, dissection, dissension, dissolution, distinction, distortion, distraction, distribution, dysfunction, edition, egyptian, ejection, election, electrician, electrocution, elocution, emission, emotion, emulsion, encryption, erection, erudition, eruption, eviction, evolution, exaction, exception, excoriation, excretion, execution, exemption, exertion, exhibition, expansion, expedition, exposition, expression, expulsion, extension, extinction, extortion, extraction, extradition, faction, fashion, fiction, fission, flexion, formalization, fraction, freshen, friction, fruition, function, gentian, geriatrician, gumption, hessian, homogenization, hypertension, hypotension, ignition, impassion, imperfection, imposition, impression, inaction, inception, incineration, indiscretion, induction, infarction, infection, inflection, infliction, infraction, inhibition, injection, injunction, inquisition, inscription, insertion, inspection, institution, instruction, insurrection, interaction, interception, intercession, interconnection, interdiction, interjection, intermission, interruption, intersection, introduction, introspection, intuition, invention, junction, jurisdiction, juxtaposition, lilliputian, liposuction, liquefaction, locomotion, logician, lotion, magician, malfunction, malnutrition, mansion, martian, mathematician, mention, midsection, misapprehension, misconception, misimpression, misperception, mission, mortician, motion, munition, musician, nonaggression, nonfiction, nonprescription, notion, nutrition, objection, obsession, obstetrician, obstruction, ocean, omission, opposition, oppression, optician, option, overconsumption, overexpansion, overproduction, overprotection, overreaction, oversimplification, partition, passion, patrician, pediatrician, pension, perception, percussion, perfection, permission, persecution, petition, physician, politician, pollution, portion, position, possession, potion, precaution, precession, preconception, precondition, prediction, predilection, predisposition, preelection, preemption, preignition, premonition, prescription, presumption, presupposition, pretension, prevention, procession, production, profession, progression, prohibition, projection, promotion, proportion, proposition, propulsion, proscription, prosecution, prostitution, protection, ration, reaction, reassertion, reception, recession, recognition, recollection, recondition, reconstruction, redefinition, redemption, redirection, redistribution, reduction, reeducation, reelection, reflection, regression, reimposition, reinspection, reintegration, reintroduction, reinvention, rejection, remission, rendition, repercussion, repetition, reposition, repossession, repression, reproduction, requisition, resolution, restitution, restriction, resumption, resurrection, retention, retraction, retransmission, retribution, revolution, revulsion, rhetorician, sanction, satisfaction, secession, secretion, section, sedition, seduction, selection, session, solution, statistician, submission, subscription, subsection, substation, substitution, subtraction, succession, suction, superstition, supposition, suppression, suspension, suspicion, syncopation, tactician, technician, tension, theoretician, titian, traction, tradition, transaction, transcription, transection, transgression, transition, transmission, tuition, venetian, volition, workstation. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-i-i-m-n-o-o-t-t-v" | |
-3 letters: amotion, ottoman, ovation, vitamin. | |
-4 letters: intima, manito, mattin, motion, titian, titman, tomato, vimina, vomito. | |
-5 letters: amino, amnio, animi, avion, imino, matin, mavin, motto, nomoi, taint, tanto, titan, toman, vitta, vomit. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-i-i-m-n-o-o-t-t-v" | |
+1 letter: motivations. | |
+2 letters: motivational, remotivation. | |
+3 letters: remotivations. | |
+4 letters: motivationally, overestimation. | |
+5 letters: overestimations, overstimulation. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)4D 6F 74 69 76 61 74 69 6F 6E |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references)-- --- - .. ...- .- - .. --- -. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01001101 01101111 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100001 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)M o t i v a t i o n |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)004D 006F 0074 0069 0076 0061 0074 0069 006F 006E |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)47818675886786758180 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Historic 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Derivations | 17. Rhymes 18. Anagrams 19. Orthography 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
