What is another word for motive?
Synonyms for motive
ˈmoʊ tɪvmo·tive
This thesaurus page is about all possible synonyms, equivalent, same meaning and similar words for the term 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
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?
There was no ulterior motive behind his act.
Such friendship and relationship, stay durable and stable if that holds love and sincerity; conversely, if that motivates the motive and insincerity, results in nothing than failure.
There are two modes of criticism. One which crushes to earth without mercy all the humble buds of Phantasy, all the plants that, though green and fruitful, are also a prey to insects or have suffered by drought. It weeds well the garden, and cannot believe the weed in its native soil may be a pretty, graceful plant. There is another mode which enters into the natural history of every thing that breathes and lives, which believes no impulse to be entirely in vain, which scrutinizes circumstances, motive and object before it condemns, and believes there is a beauty in natural form, if its law and purpose be understood.
While we do n’t yet know the motive of the shooter, he targeted a facility known to be heavily populated by Sikh employees.
In criminal cases, motive and intent is everything. Why not here ?
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
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Translation
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"motive." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2022. Web. 26 Jun 2022. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/motive>.
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