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.

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How to use motive in a sentence?

1. Amy Sanders:

   It has also not yet been determined if the motive was a hate crime, domestic terrorism, a personal act of violence against a specific individual, or other motive as there are numerous individuals and entities tied to the building in the vicinity of the explosion.

2. Kendra Wilkinson:

   Holly, you can tell, had this ulterior motive every minute being at the Mansion, and that motive was -- it was clear as day -- she wanted Hef's kids, she wanted a piece of Playboy and she wanted to marry Hef for, obviously, his will.

3. Kelly McBride:

   You’re trying to figure out what the individual’s motive is, you’re not necessarily going to report on the motive. But you want to understand why they would leak this information and if they have motive to distort the information.

4. W. M. L. Jay:

   Though a good motive cannot sanction a bad action, a bad motive will always vitiate a good action. In common and trivial matters we may act without motives, but in momentous ones the most careful deliberation is wisdom.

5. James Boswell:

   To act from pure benevolence is not possible for finite beings. Human benevolence is mingled with vanity, interest, or some other motive.