Synonyms for motive
ˈmoʊ tɪv

Wiktionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. motive(noun)

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, motivate, moving, motional

2. motive(noun)

   Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power.

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, motivate, motional, moving

3. motive(noun)

   Relating to motion and/or to its cause

   If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

   Synonyms:
   motif, motivation, moving, motional

English Synonyms and Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

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 Antonyms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. motive

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

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

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. motivation, motive, need(noun)

   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, motive(noun)

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

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, need, theme

   Antonyms:
   noncausal, noncausative

3. motif, motive(adj)

   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), motor(adj)

   causing or able to cause motion

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

   Antonyms:
   noncausative, noncausal

5. motivative(a), motive(a), motivating(adj)

   impelling to action

   "it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap; "motive pleas"; "motivating arguments"

   Antonyms:
   noncausal, noncausative

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. motive(n.)

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

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. motive(n)

   Synonyms:
   incentive, inducement, incitement

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "motive":

   motivation, mobile, reason, ground, incentive, motif

How to pronounce motive?

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use motive in a sentence?

1. Mitch Daniels:

   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.

2. Azhar Ikram:

   As per our initial investigation 'honor' is the motive of murder.

3. Bernard Mandeville:

   Because impudence is a vice, it does not follow that modesty is a virtue; it is built upon shame, a passion in our nature, and may be either good or bad according to the actions performed from that motive.

4. Duane Piper:

   We'd like to find a motive. There's no reason that any of us are ever going to understand to wipe an entire family. We have absolutely no clue at this point what precipitated it.

5. 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.

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