I felt there's a similarity in meaning and words could be used interchangeably when I tried to use the words in sentence, for example:
- My motivation to attend the course / meeting / study ..
- My purpose to attend the course / meeeting / study ..
In both of these examples, my reason to attend something is being stated.
From definitions, I got from Google there also seems to be some correspondence between them.
Purpose: the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
"the purpose of the meeting is to appoint a trustee"
synonyms: motive, motivation, grounds, cause, impetus, occasion, reason, point, basis, justification..
Motivation:
a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.
"escape can be a strong motivation for travel"
synonyms:
motive, motivating force, incentive, stimulus, stimulation, inspiration, impulse, inducement, incitement, spur, goad, provocation;
If not, how these are different? What about the word 'Objective'? Does it relate more to a purpose or motivation?
Best Answer
They are definitely related words, and your sentence could probably work with either of them.
To put the three in order from broadest to most specific: motivation, purpose, objective.
Motivation often refers to an internal/emotional drive, or general goal
Purpose can refer to a general drive, but usually refers to something more concrete
Objective usually means a specific goal.
In an example: My motivation for joining running club is that I want to be healthier, my purpose is to increase my running stamina, and my objective is to complete a marathon.