What is another word for motive?
Synonyms for motive
ˈmoʊ tɪvmo·tive
This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word motive.
Wiktionary
motiveadjective
Synonyms:
motif, motivate, motional, moving, motivationmotivenoun
An incentive to act; a reason for doing something; anything that prompted a choice of action.
Synonyms:
moving, motivation, motif, motional, motivatemotivenoun
Relating to motion and/or to its cause
If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.
Synonyms:
motivation, motif, moving, motional
English Synonyms and Antonyms
motive
The efficient cause, that which makes anything to be or be done, is the common meaning of the word, as in the saying "There is no effect without a cause." Every man instinctively recognizes himself acting through will as the cause of his own actions. The Creator is the Great First Cause of all things. A condition is something that necessarily precedes a result, but does not produce it. An antecedent simply precedes a result, with or without any agency in producing it; as, Monday is the invariable antecedent of Tuesday, but not the cause of it. The direct antonym of cause is effect, while that of antecedent is consequent. An occasion is some event which brings a cause into action at a particular moment; gravitation and heat are the causes of an avalanche; the steep incline of the mountain-side is a necessary condition, and the shout of the traveler may be the occasion of its fall. Causality is the doctrine or principle of causes, causation the action or working of causes. Compare DESIGN; REASON.
Synonyms:
actor, agent, antecedent, author, causality, causation, cause, condition, creator, designer, former, fountain, occasion, origin, originator, power, precedent, reason, reason, source, springAntonyms:
consequence, creation, development, effect, end, end, event, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, resultPreposition:
The cause of the disaster; cause for interference.
Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms
motive
Synonyms:
inducement, purpose, design, prompting, stimulus, reason, impulse, incitementAntonyms:
execution, action, effort, deed, attempt, project, preventive, deterrent, dissuasive
Princeton's WordNet
motivation, motive, neednoun
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
"we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
Synonyms:
indigence, need, motivating, demand, pauperization, want, motivation, pauperism, motif, penuryAntonyms:
noncausal, noncausativemotif, motivenoun
a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
Synonyms:
motivation, motif, need, themeAntonyms:
noncausal, noncausativemotif, motiveadjective
a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
Synonyms:
motivation, motif, need, themeAntonyms:
noncausal, noncausativemotive(a), motoradjective
causing or able to cause motion
"a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy"
Antonyms:
noncausative, noncausalmotivative(a), motive(a), motivatingadjective
impelling to action
"it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments"
Antonyms:
noncausal, noncausative
Matched Categories
Dictionary of English Synonymes
motivenoun
Synonyms:
inducement, incentive, impulse, incitement, stimulus, prompting, influence, reason, ground, principle, consideration, cause, occasion, prime mover, why and wherefore
Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words
motivenoun
Synonyms:
incentive, inducement, incitement
Suggested Resources
motive
Song lyrics by motive -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by motive on the Lyrics.com website.
Words popularity by usage frequency
ranking | word | |
---|---|---|
#183 | need | |
#245 | design | |
#254 | want | |
#307 | power | |
#419 | source | |
#420 | author | |
#534 | mobile | |
#1067 | condition | |
#1223 | cause | |
#1246 | reason | |
#1249 | spring | |
#1258 | purpose | |
#1346 | ground | |
#1441 | agent | |
#1593 | moving | |
#1753 | former | |
#1829 | demand | |
#2168 | theme | |
#2518 | origin | |
#2589 | designer | |
#4288 | actor | |
#5463 | occasion | |
#5715 | creator | |
#7212 | incentive | |
#7769 | motivation | |
#8063 | fountain | |
#13290 | impulse | |
#13930 | motif | |
#16030 | stimulus | |
#16696 | precedent | |
#16875 | motive | |
#18233 | motivate | |
#19983 | originator | |
#24242 | motivating | |
#26096 | prompting | |
#32060 | causation | |
#34046 | causality | |
#44502 | antecedent | |
#53505 | inducement | |
#56224 | incitement | |
#138780 | motional | |
#168469 | penury | |
#210874 | indigence | |
#316503 | pauperism |
How to use motive in a sentence?
On action alone be thy interest, Never on its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive, Nor be thy attachment to inaction.
We're convinced, after a technically and scientifically rigorous investigation, that in total 21 people disappeared, we are still determining the motive ... of this massacre.
Interior Minister Mladen Marinov:
However, we do not exclude a version for planned action also by such a person or a personal motive. So, absolutely no version is underestimated.
Politically persecuted people have the right to asylum. We can be proud of the humanity of our Basic Law... we also grant protection to all those who flee to us from wars, i put it simply : Germany is a strong country. The motive with which we approach these things must be : We have achieved so much -- we can do it ! .
Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun embodied all we can hope for in our leaders : brilliance of mind, purity of motive, stainless in character, tireless in the pursuit of duty. Incomparably knowledgeable about the world, Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun was first and always a patriot, utterly dedicated to the security and wellbeing of Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun fellow Americans, indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun voice is now silent, but Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun is still with us. Indianapolis is a thriving and vibrant city because of Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun. The world is safer from nuclear danger because of Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun. And so many of us, while falling far short of the standards Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun set, are vastly better people because of Indiana Republican Sen. Mike Braun.
Translations for motive
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- حافزArabic
- motiuCatalan, Valencian
- pohnutka, motiv, hybnýCzech
- bevæggrund, motivDanish
- Beweggrund, MotivGerman
- motivoSpanish
- liikunta, aihe, liike, vaikutin, liikkeellepaneva, motivoida, motiiviFinnish
- mouvant, motiver, thème, moteur, motif, mobileFrench
- réasúnIrish
- מניע, מוטיבHebrew
- indítékHungarian
- motivoItalian
- מניעHebrew
- 動機Japanese
- 동기, 動機Korean
- ratioLatin
- motivatie, motiveren, onderwerp, motief, motioneel, beweegreden, bewegendDutch
- motivoPortuguese
- motiv, rațiuneRomanian
- мотив, поводRussian
- мо̀тӣв, mòtīvSerbo-Croatian
- motivSwedish
- 動機, động cơVietnamese
Get even more translations for motive »
Translation
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"motive." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/motive>.
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