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motive

/ˈmoʊtɪv/noun, adjective2 syllables

Motive means: impelling to action.

Synonyms for motive18

noun, as in 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

motivation, need

noun, as in a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

motif

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

motif

adjective, as in impelling to action

motivative, motivating, causative

adjective, as in causing or able to cause motion

motor, causative

also used for motive

sake, motivate, moving, ambulatory, animate, kinetic, mobile, motile, movable, vagile, motional

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does motive mean?5

adjective

1

impelling to action“it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function”

2

causing or able to cause motion“a motive force”

noun

1

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”

2

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

3

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

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with motive?2

four syllables

automotivelocomotive
Show 40 near rhymes
goingpostedgrowingholdingshowingknowinghopingvotedvotingsmokingclothingrollingclosingthrowingpostingcoachingpromotingcoacheshostedloadedquotedblowingdevotedfloatingapproachingcontrollinghostingpromotedloadingcolinbowlingjokingopposingflowingrosesholdingsnotingexplosiveclosesheroic

Motive in a sentence

  • Your motive was admirable, but your action was not.papabear
  • These days, the motive for marriage is not necessarily pure.Zifre
  • But you know, he had an ulterior motive.mutskt
  • Whatever the motive of these extraordinary crimes, robbery is certainly not one of them.Hybrid
  • These days, the motives for marriage are not necessarily pure.Zifre
  • Your motives weren't obvious from your actions, and you didn't offer any explanation.rul
  • As the play develops, the real motives of the protagonist become clear.darinmex
  • As the play unfolds, the protagonist's true motives are revealed.sundown

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of motive

as a noun

plural
motives