-motive
1 Americannoun
-
something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.
- Synonyms:
- cause, ground, occasion, influence, spur, stimulus, incitement, motivation
-
the goal or object of a person's actions.
Her motive was revenge.
-
(in art, literature, and music) a motif.
adjective
-
causing, or tending to cause, motion.
-
pertaining to motion.
-
prompting to action.
-
constituting a motive or motives.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the reason for a certain course of action, whether conscious or unconscious
-
a variant of motif
adjective
-
of or causing motion or action
a motive force
-
of or acting as a motive; motivating
verb
Usage
What does motive mean? A motive is something that causes a person to act in a certain way, as in Luciana’s motive for studying was the F she got on the last exam.A motive can also be the reward or benefit received for completing an action in a certain way or time, as in Yosef’s motive for signing up for the hike was to climb to the top of the mountain.Motive can also describe something as relating to motion or movement, such as a motive engine. A common misuse of this form is auto motive. The term automotive comes from the term, but it is a standalone word, not a phrase.Example: We need to identify a motive before we can continue investigating.
Related Words
Motive, incentive, inducement apply to whatever moves one to action. Motive is, literally, something that moves a person; an inducement, something that leads a person on; an incentive, something that inspires a person. Motive is applied mainly to an inner urge that moves or prompts a person to action, though it may also apply to a contemplated result, the desire for which moves the person: His motive was a wish to be helpful. Inducement is never applied to an inner urge, and seldom to a goal: The pleasure of wielding authority may be an inducement to get ahead. It is used mainly of opportunities offered by the acceptance of certain conditions, whether these are offered by a second person or by the factors of the situation: The salary offered me was a great inducement. Incentive was once used of anything inspiring or stimulating the emotions or imagination: incentives to piety; it has retained of this its emotional connotations, but (rather like inducement ) is today applied only to something offered as a reward, and offered particularly to stimulate competitive activity: to create incentives for higher achievement. See reason.
Other Word Forms
- motiveless adjective
- motivelessly adverb
- motivelessness noun
- well-motived adjective
Etymology
Origin of motive
First recorded in 1325–75; (for the adjective) Middle English, from Middle French motif, from Medieval Latin mōtīvus “serving to move,” from Latin mōt(us) “moved” (past participle of movēre “to move”; move ) + -īvus -ive; noun derivative of the adjective
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But rarely have the presidents who ordered these interventions been so blatant about the primary motive.
From Slate
More motive, as it happens, than common sense.
Authorities haven’t offered a motive for the Dec. 14 attack.
From Los Angeles Times
It accounts not just for the offense and its elements but also for potentially mitigating factors such as whether the person “was an accessory, complicitor, or principal,” along with the person’s “culpability and motive.”
From Slate
“What is their motive? You think they’re staying up nights worrying…? They are not,” Sanders told host Jake Tapper.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
