Synonyms for motive
ˈmoʊ tɪvmo·tive

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. motiveadjective

   Synonyms:
   motif, motivate, motional, moving, motivation

2. motivenoun

   An incentive to act; a reason for doing something; anything that prompted a choice of action.

   Synonyms:
   moving, motivation, motif, motional, motivate

3. motivenoun

   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 AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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, spring

   Antonyms:
   consequence, creation, development, effect, end, end, event, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result

   Preposition:
   The cause of the disaster; cause for interference.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. motive

   Synonyms:
   inducement, purpose, design, prompting, stimulus, reason, impulse, incitement

   Antonyms:
   execution, action, effort, deed, attempt, project, preventive, deterrent, dissuasive

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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, penury

   Antonyms:
   noncausal, noncausative

2. motif, motivenoun

   a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, need, theme

   Antonyms:
   noncausal, noncausative

3. motif, motiveadjective

   a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, need, theme

   Antonyms:
   noncausal, noncausative

4. motive(a), motoradjective

   causing or able to cause motion

   "a motive force"; "motive power"; "motor energy"

   Antonyms:
   noncausative, noncausal

5. motivative(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

1. • Theme

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. motivenoun

   Synonyms:
   inducement, incentive, impulse, incitement, stimulus, prompting, influence, reason, ground, principle, consideration, cause, occasion, prime mover, why and wherefore

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. motivenoun

   Synonyms:
   incentive, inducement, incitement

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "motive":

   motivation, mobile, reason, ground, incentive, motif

Suggested Resources

1. motive

   Song lyrics by motive -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by motive on the Lyrics.com website.

How to pronounce motive?

How to say motive in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use motive in a sentence?

1. Chowan County Sheriff Dwayne Goodwin:

   We have interviewed a ton of people. We don't have a motive or anything at this point—no suspect, no motive.

2. Keith Smith:

   We see this confluence of motive, where what looks like some recycled criminal malware has been upgraded in a sophisticated way, a lot of people suspect that that's Russia’s attempt to force us as analysts to ascribe to a criminal organization what is in fact the actions of a nation state – Russia.

3. Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley:

   We just can't figure out the motive, there's nothing that gives us any indication as to why he would do this or what would have triggered this. The victims did not know him, he did not know the victims.

4. Gerald Shargel:

   She was upset, yes, but that's not motive to commit a crime, so she's going to sacrifice all she's worked for? She's going to give all that up?

5. Cheryl Furler:

   About three dozen police vehicles, including an armored truck, and four ambulances responded to the shooting. The Whitehall and Allentown police departments, and Pennsylvania State Police troopers, were on the scene, The Morning Call reported. No arrests havebeen made as of Sunday, and no motive behind the shooting was released. Investigatorswerereviewing surveillance footage in hopes of identifying a suspect. Authorities called for anyone in the mall at the time of the shooting who may have cell phone video of the incident to contact police. NEARLY 100 PROTESTERS ARRESTED AT ABOLISH ICE PROTESTS IN NYC Lehigh Valley Hospital and St. Lukes University Hospital were put on alert in case anyone injured left the mall undetected before law enforcement arrived, The Morning Call reported. Allentown Police Capt.Mike Becker told The Associated Press that Allentown Police Capt.Mike Becker department was assisting Whitehall Township Police but had no other information to share. Cheryl Furler, an employee at Bath Body Works, told WFMZ that Cheryl Furler and about 50 other people barricaded themselves in the stockroom. We took filing cabinets and pushed them up against the doors.