motive Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun 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
    need; motivation.
    • we did not understand his motivation
    • he acted with the best of motives
  2. noun a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
    motif.
  3. noun a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
    motif.
  4. adjective satellite causing or able to cause motion
    motor.
    • a motive force
    • motive power
    • motor energy
  5. adjective satellite impelling to action
    motivating; motivative.
    • it may well be that ethical language has primarily a motivative function"- Arthur Pap
    • motive pleas
    • motivating arguments

WordNet

Mo"tive noun
Etymology
F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.
Definitions
  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. -- 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 adjective
Definitions
  1. Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. "Motive faculty." Bp. Wilkins.
Mo"tive transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.

Webster 1913