motive - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

Your reason for doing something is your motive. Your motive to go to school every day is to learn. Or maybe the thought of your parents' anger and a run-in with the truant officer is motive enough.

The word motive comes from the Latin words motivus, meaning moving, and movere, meaning to move. Think of motive as the thing that moves you to act. You often hear of motive in the context of crime––a suspect’s fingerprints may be on the murder weapon, but a detective won’t understand the crime until he understands the motive. What made the killer act?

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: motive

1	n adj	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 causing or able to cause motion
2	n	a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: motive

1

n 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

“he acted with the best of motives”

Synonyms:: motivation, need

Types:: show 21 types...; hide 21 types...; life
a motive for living; rational motive
a motive that can be defended by reasoning or logical argument; irrational motive
a motivation that is inconsistent with reason or logic; impulse, urge
an instinctive motive; ethical motive, ethics, morality, morals
motivation based on ideas of right and wrong; mental energy, psychic energy
an actuating force or factor; ground, reason
a rational motive for a belief or action; incentive, inducement, motivator
a positive motivational influence; deterrence, disincentive
a negative motivational influence; abience
(psychology) an urge to withdraw or avoid a situation or an object; adience
(psychology) an urge to accept or approach a situation or an object; Thanatos, death instinct, death wish
(psychoanalysis) an unconscious urge to die; irrational impulse
a strong spontaneous and irrational motivation; cacoethes, mania, passion
an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action; itchy feet, wanderlust
very strong or irresistible impulse to travel; compulsion, obsession
an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will; hedonism
the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle; conscience, moral sense, scruples, sense of right and wrong
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions; Christ Within, Inner Light, Light, Light Within
a divine presence believed by Quakers to enlighten and guide the soul; incitation, incitement, provocation
something that incites or provokes; a means of arousing or stirring to action; libidinal energy
(psychoanalysis) psychic energy produced by the libido

Type of:: psychological feature
a feature of the mental life of a living organism

adj causing or able to cause motion

“a motive force”

“motive power”

Synonyms:: motor

: causative
producing an effect

adj impelling to action

“motive pleas”

Synonyms:: motivating, motivative

: causative
producing an effect

2

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

Synonyms:: motif

Types:: obbligato, obligato
a persistent but subordinate motif

Type of:: idea, melodic theme, musical theme, theme
(music) melodic subject of a musical composition

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

Synonyms:: motif

Type of:: design, figure, pattern
a decorative or artistic work