Meanings
- uncountableActive rejection of something towards which one should be motivated.
Thus, no motivation is generated in the student to apply the new skills; on the contrary, antimotivation is sometimes aroused.
1983, International yearbook of cartography: Volume 232 more examples
Having been driven all their days into an active antimotivation, and finding motivation is the absolute prerequisite for beginning real American life, they cannot begin[…]
1973, John R. Fry, Locked-out Americans: a memoirWith this, undermotivation turns to antimotivation; failures accumulate and their emotional threshold goes down. Instead of trying harder they start to rebel.
1977, Louise M. Berman, Jessie A. Roderick, Feeling, valuing, and the art of growing: insights into the affective
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
- Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
- Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
- Englishanti-
- Anglo-Normanmotif
- Middle Frenchmotif
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)ewh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*m(y)owh₁éyeti
- Proto-Italic*moweō
- Latinmoveō
- Latinmōtus
- Late Latinmōtīvum
- Middle Englishmotif
- Englishmotive
- Englishmotivation
- Englishantimotivation
From anti- + motivation.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
antimotivation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antimotivation
“antimotivation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antimotivation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “antimotivation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antimotivation.
Source: antimotivation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.