About The Word Motive

Bay Area Crosswords

Learn about the word Motive to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Motive definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.

Motive

Motive Meaning & Definition
Motive Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Motive?

[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; "we did not understand his motivation"; "he acted with the best of motives"
[n] a theme that is elaborated on in a piece of music

Synonyms | Synonyms for Motive: motif | motivation | need

Related Terms | Find terms related to Motive: 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

See Also | ethical motive | ethics | idea | impulse | irrational motive | life | melodic theme | mental energy | morality | morals | musical theme | obbligato | obligato | psychic energy | psychological feature | rational motive | theme | urge

Motive In Webster's Dictionary

\Mo"tive\, n. [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See {Move}.] 1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] --Shak. 2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object. By motive, I mean the whole of that which moves, excites, or invites the mind to volition, whether that be one thing singly, or many things conjunctively. --J. Edwards. 3. (Mus.) The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under {Leading}. [Written also {motivo}.] 4. (Fine Arts) That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one. Syn: Incentive; incitement; inducement; reason; spur; stimulus; cause. Usage: {Motive}, {Inducement}, {Reason}. Motive is the word originally used in speaking of that which determines the choice. We call it an inducement when it is attractive in its nature. We call it a reason when it is more immediately addressed to the intellect in the form of argument.
\Mo"tive\, a. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. ``Motive faculty.'' --Bp. Wilkins. {Motive power} (Mach.), a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover.
\Mo"tive\, v. t. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

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