Home Synonyms motive

Synonyms of motive in English:

motive


See US English definition of motive

See UK English definition of motive

See Spanish definition of motivo

noun

1‘the motive for the attack is still unknown’

SYNONYMS
reason, motivation, motivating force, rationale, grounds, cause, basis, occasion, thinking, the whys and wherefores, object, purpose, intention, design
incentive, inducement, impulse, incitement, influence, lure, inspiration, stimulus, stimulation, spur, goad, provocation, pressure, persuasion, consideration

2‘religious motives in art’

SYNONYMS
motif, theme, idea, concept, subject, topic, leitmotif, trope, element

adjective

1‘the machinery supplying the motive power for the hydraulic cranes’

SYNONYMS
kinetic, driving, impelling, propelling, propulsive, operative, moving, motor