ulterior motive

American  

[uhl-teer-ee-er moh-tiv] / ʌlˈtɪər i ər ˈmoʊ tɪv /

noun

• ulterior motives
  plural

1. a secret reason for doing something; a purpose, often the main purpose, that is kept hidden.

   When his enemy the Sheriff of Nottingham calls for an archery contest, Robin Hood suspects an ulterior motive, namely, to flush Robin out of hiding.

   It turns out she had an ulterior motive for being so friendly and helpful—she was a con artist hoping to sign me up.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ulterior motives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ulterior motive

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ulterior motive

But in siding with those officials, Schiltz saw an ulterior motive.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2026

Patchett has said she had an ulterior motive for writing “Whistler.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

But there is an ulterior motive to her choice that won’t come into focus until the second half of the movie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

In the end, staying friends only works if both people have truly accepted the end of the relationship, and neither has an ulterior motive, she adds.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

“You think there's an ulterior motive for everything nice I do.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Related Words

• ambition
• aspiration
• desire
• determination
• direction
• function
• goal
• idea
• intent
• objective
• plan
• principle
• project
• reason
• scheme
• scope
• view
• wish