motive (ˈməʊtɪv
)
Definitions
noun
- the reason for a certain course of action, whether conscious or unconscious
- a variant of motif (sense 2)
adjective
- of or causing motion or action ⇒
a motive force
- of or acting as a motive; motivating
verb (tr)
- to motivate
Alternative Forms
ˈmotiveless adjective ˈmotivelessly adverb ˈmotivelessness nounWord Origin
C14: from Old French motif, from Late Latin mōtīvus (adj) moving, from Latin mōtus, past participle of movēre to moveSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
reason,
motivation,
cause,
ground(s)
design,
influence,
purpose,
object,
intention,
spur,
incentive,
inspiration,
stimulus,
rationale,
inducement,
incitement,
mainspring,
the why and wherefore
Translations
- British English:
motive
Your motive for doing something is your reason for doing it.What motive could he have for lying?ˈməʊtɪv NOUN What motive could he have for lying?
- Spanish:
motivo
nm
- French:
mobile
nm
- German:
Motiv
nnt
- Chinese: 动机 n
- Arabic: حَافِزٌ n
- Portuguese: motivo nm
- Russian: мотив nm
- Croatian: motiv nm
- Czech: motiv nm
- Danish: motiv nnt
- Dutch: motief nnt
- Finnish: motiivi n
- Greek: κίνητρο nnt
- Italian: motivo nm
- Japanese: 動機 n
- Korean: 동기 n
- Norwegian: motiv nnt
- Polish: motyw nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: motivo nm
- European Spanish:
motivo
nm
- Swedish: motiv nnt
- Thai: เหตุจูงใจ n
- Turkish: sebep n
- Vietnamese: động cơ n
Usage examples
And here, of course, was the perfect motive -- not fear of death, but fear of possible disgrace.
, Double Deceit (1990)The suggested advantage of such markets is that the profit motive efficiently gathers information from a very wide range of sources.
New Scientist (2003)Asked what the motive could be, she said simply: "Terrorism.
Irish Times (2002)Karl said: "Money's never been our motive for being in the music industry.
Belfast Telegraph (2003)Actions taken for reasons of political and economic expediency have been presented as if altruism were the sole motive.
, The Chomsky Update - Linguistics and Politics (1990)