Definitions of irrational motive
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a motivation that is inconsistent with reason or logic
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types:
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irrational impulse
a strong spontaneous and irrational motivation
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cacoethes, mania, passion
an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
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compulsion, obsession
an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will
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compulsion, irresistible impulse
an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid
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agromania
an intense desire to be alone or out in the open
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alcoholism, dipsomania, potomania
an intense persistent desire to drink alcoholic beverages to excess
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egomania
an intense and irresistible love for yourself and concern for your own needs
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kleptomania
an irresistible impulse to steal in the absence of any economic motive
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logomania, logorrhea
pathologically excessive (and often incoherent) talking
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monomania, possession
a mania restricted to one thing or idea
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necromania, necrophilia, necrophilism
an irresistible sexual attraction to dead bodies
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phaneromania
an irresistible desire to pick at superficial body parts (as in obsessive nail-biting)
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pyromania
an uncontrollable desire to set fire to things
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trichotillomania
an irresistible urge to pull out your own hair
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onomatomania
obsession with a particular word which the person uses repeatedly or which intrudes into consciousness
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type of:
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motivation, motive, need
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
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘irrational motive'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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