motive

noun

An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.

(law) Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.

(British) A party, gathering, or get-together.

(British) One's plans for the day or night.

(architecture, fine arts, music) Alternative form of motif. [A recurring or dominant element; an artistic theme.]

(obsolete) An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.

(obsolete, rare) A limb or other bodily organ that can move.

verb

(transitive) To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

adjective

Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move

Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Roots

moveomot- · Latin · move, mover

Synonyms for motive

motivationn motivatingn motifn reasonn rationalen purposen intentionn incentiven intentn motorn motivationaladj inducementn

Synonyms & related words for motive

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of motive — including motivation, motivating, motif, reason, rationale, purpose. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to motive

Explore words related to motive — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include motiveless, ratiocinate, syllogize, ulterior, justification, motivator, outreason, impetus. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for motive

Common synonyms for motive include motivation, motivating, motif, reason, rationale, purpose, intention, incentive — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does motive come from?

The word motive breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root mot-, from Latin moveo (“move, mover”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.