Synonyms for motive
ˈmoʊ tɪv

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

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. motive(noun)

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

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, motivate, moving, motional

2. motive(noun)

   Synonyms:
   motivation, motif, motivate, motional, moving

3. motive(adjective)

   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

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

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

1. List of paraphrases:

   motivation, mobile, reason, ground, incentive, motif

How to pronounce motive?See more »

Alex

US English

Daniel

British

Karen

Australian

Veena

Indian

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