 motive |
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| 1. | [ 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 | |
| Synonyms: | need motivation | |
| Examples: | "we did not understand his motivation" "he acted with the best of motives" |
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| Related terms: | psychological_feature urge ethical_motive life irrational_motive rational_motive psychic_energy motivate | |
| 2. | [ adjective ] causing or able to cause motion | |
| Synonyms: | motor | |
| Examples: | "a motive force" "motive power" "motor energy" |
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| Related terms: | causative | |
| 3. | [ adjective ] impelling to action | |
| Synonyms: | motivating motivative | |
| Examples: | "it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap "motive pleas" "motivating arguments" |
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| Related terms: | causative | |
| 4. | [ noun ] (music,fine art) a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music | |
| Synonyms: | motif | |
| Related terms: | theme obbligato | |
| Similar spelling: |
motif modify |
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