unmotivated

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Having no real wish or energy to work, learn or try.

   Grammar: Often follows be or feel: she felt unmotivated.

   Patterns

   • unmotivated to do something

   After the long winter, many students felt unmotivated.

   An unmotivated employee often misses deadlines.

   He was unmotivated by the low pay.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounformal

   Without a clear reason or cause behind it.

   Grammar: Used for actions or attacks: an unmotivated assault.

   Police described the attack as unmotivated.

   The change in plot seemed unmotivated to the audience.

   It was an unmotivated outburst.

Common combinations

feel unmotivated

I feel unmotivated on rainy Mondays.

unmotivated students

Teachers worry about unmotivated students.

seem unmotivated

He seems unmotivated at work.

completely unmotivated

She was completely unmotivated after the failure.

unmotivated attack

Officers said it was an unmotivated attack.

Synonyms and how they differ

apathetic

Apathetic suggests a deeper lack of interest in everything, while unmotivated is usually about one task.

listless

Listless stresses a lack of energy in body and mood, while unmotivated is about lack of drive.

uninspired

Uninspired points to lack of creative ideas, while unmotivated points to lack of drive.

indifferent

Indifferent means not caring one way or the other, which is milder than unmotivated.

Opposites

Word family

motivate verb

to give someone a reason to act

motivation noun

the reason or drive to do something

motivated adjective

having drive and a reason to act

demotivated adjective

having lost drive or enthusiasm

Commonly confused: unmotivated or demotivated?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “unmotivated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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