Motive

Noun

 * 1) An incentive to act; a reason for doing something; anything that prompted a choice of action.
 * What would his motive be for burning down the cottage?
 * No-one could understand why she had hidden the shovel; her motives were obscure at best.
 * 1) A motif; a theme or subject, especially one that is central to the work or often repeated.
 * If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

Synonyms

 * (incentive) motivation
 * (creative works) motif

Verb

 * 1)  To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Synonyms

 * motivate

Adjective

 * 1) Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power.
 * 2) * 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society 2007, p. 195:
 * In the motive parts of animals may be discovered mutuall proportions; not only in those of Quadrupeds, but in the thigh-bone, legge, foot-bone, and claws of Birds.
 * 1) Relating to motion and/or to its cause

Synonyms

 * moving
 * (relating to motion) motional

Adjectives for Motive
chivalrous; tragic; corrupt; predominant; incidental; ambitious; attributed; selfish; altruistic; kind; underlying; commercial; corrupt; worthy; interested; ignoble; greedy; intrusive; conscientious; plausible; priceless; principal; lofty; invented; ostensible; colonial; unmixed; misleading; professional; perplexing; secondary; high; generous; explanatory; interesting; complicated; auxiliary; disinterested; evil; urgent; improper; hedonistic; differing; compelling; imputed; ulterior; patriotic; melodic; inferior; mercenary; fatal; upright; pure; commanding; sufficient; keen; guiding; impugning; impelling; dominant; identical; basilar; ruling; potent; laudable; understandable; cryptic; bread-and-butter; segmented; sculptured; hidden; scarce-known.

Verbs for Motive
abolish—; acknowledge—; appreciate—; as¬sign—for; attribute—to; destroy—; impute —to; mock—; obscure—; ponder—; probe into—; recognize—; review —s; reward—;weigh—; —actuates; —governs; —impels; —induces; —inspires; —prompts; —stimulates; —sways.

Thesaurus
activating, active, actuating, aim, ambition, angle, animating, animus, antecedent, argument, aspiration, attraction, basis, burden, case, causal, causative, cause, chapter, compelling, concern, consideration, counsel, desideration, desideratum, design, desire, determinant, determination, device, directive, driving, effect, emotion, end, enticement, essence, feeling, figure, fixed purpose, focus of attention, focus of interest, function, gist, goad, goal, grounds, head, heading, idea, impellent, impelling, impulsive, in motion, incentive, incitement, inducement, inducive, influence, intendment, intent, intention, issue, kinetic, leitmotiv, living issue, lure, main point, matter, matter in hand, meaning, meat, mind, mobile, motif, motile, motivating, motivating force, motivation, motivational, motor, moving, nisus, object, objective, operative, passion, pattern, phrase, plan, point, point at issue, point in question, pressing, problem, prod, project, propellant, propelling, proposal, propulsive, propulsory, prospectus, pulsive, purpose, pushing, question, rationale, reason, resolution, resolve, rubric, sake, shoving, spring, spur, stimulation, stimulus, stirring, striving, study, subject, subject matter, subject of thought, substance, text, theme, thrusting, topic, transitional, traveling, urge, urgent, view, will

Etymology
Verb: From motivus: <  motus:, past participle of movere:.

Noun: From motif: <  motif: <  motivum:, neuter of motivus:: see verb.

Noun

 * Arabic: حافز
 * Catalan: motiu
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: 動機, 动机
 * Czech: ,
 * Danish: ,
 * Dutch:, ,
 * Finnish: ,
 * French:
 * German:, Beweggrund
 * Hungarian:
 * Italian:


 * Japanese: 動機
 * Korean: 동기 (動機)
 * Latin: ratio
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian: ,
 * Russian: ,
 * Serbo-Croatian:
 * Cyrillic: мотив
 * Roman: motiv
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish:
 * Vietnamese: động cơ (動機)


 * Danish:
 * Dutch: ,


 * Finnish:


 * Danish:
 * Dutch:


 * Finnish: ,
 * Russian:


 * : motiiv
 * : motif
 * : Motiv
 * : motivo
 * : 理由 (りゆう, riyū)
 * : motiv


 * : motiv
 * : motív
 * : nagib
 * : motivo
 * : motiv
 * : neden, sebep, dürtü

Verb

 * Dutch: motiveren, aanzetten tot
 * Finnish:


 * French:

Adjective

 * Dutch:
 * Finnish: -, liikkeellepaneva, -


 * French:


 * Dutch: bewegings-, motioneel


 * Finnish: -, liikkeellepaneva, -

Anagrams

 * move it

Verb

 * 1) imperative form of motiver
 * 2) singular present imperfect form of motiver

Noun
motive