ulterior motive

American  

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

noun

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.

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Etymology

Origin of ulterior motive

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

Jones began to suspect that she’d had a previously undetected ulterior motive for moving her book to the past.

From Los Angeles Times

Ekneligoda's lawyer said his client denies the allegations, that there are ulterior motives to the allegations, and that a witness supports his version of events.

From BBC

Kenya insisted it had hosted the meetings in a bid to find a way to end the war, "without any ulterior motives".

From BBC

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

Related Words

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