You may rest assured; I have no ulterior motive in making this donation.
Source: tatoeba (16327)
Motive
//ˈməʊtɪv//
Synonyms for "motive" (211 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (43)
Noun(1 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Verb(4 words)
Strong matches (63)
Related words (105)
lodestarluremain pointmainspringmattermatter in handmeaningmeatmindmobilemotilemotionmotionalmotivatemotivating forcemotivationalmotornisusobjectobjective
Show 56 more words
operativepassionpatternphraseplanpointpoint at issuepoint in questionpressingprincipleproblemprodprojectpropellantpropellingproposalpropulsivepropulsoryprospectusprovocationpulsivepurposepushingquestionrationalereasonresolutionresolverubricsakescoreseedshovingsourcespringspurstimulationstimulusstirringstrivingstudysubjectsubject mattersubject of thoughtsubstancetextthemethrustingtopictransitionaltravelingurgeurgentviewvocationwill
Verb(17 words)
Adjective(3 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesSynonyms
6 entriesderived
21 entriesShowing 16 of 21 words.
has context
4 entriesis a
1 entriesrelated to
27 entriesShowing 16 of 27 words.
similar
2 entriesTranslations
109 translations across 42 languages.
Albanian
2 entries- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- ngajë noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Arabic
1 entries- حَافِز noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Asturian
1 entries- motivu noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Belarusian
3 entries- ру́хаючы adj (causing motion)
- маты́ў noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- маты́ў noun (music: theme or subject)
Bulgarian
4 entries- двигателен adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- движещ adj (causing motion)
- моти́в noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- моти́в noun (music: theme or subject)
Catalan
2 entries- motiu noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motiu noun (arts: motif)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 動機 /动机 noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Czech
3 entries- hybný adj (causing motion)
- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- pohnutka noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Danish
4 entries- bevæggrund noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motiv noun (music: theme or subject)
- motiv noun (arts: motif)
Dutch
4 entries- bewegend adj (causing motion)
- bewegings adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- motioneel adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- beweegreden noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Finnish
4 entries- liike adj (causing motion)
- liike adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- liikkeellepaneva adj (causing motion)
- liikkeellepaneva adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
French
4 entries- mobile adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- moteur adj (causing motion)
- mouvant adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- mobile noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Georgian
1 entries- მამოძრავებელი adj (causing motion)
German
2 entries- Beweggrund noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- Motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Greek
1 entries- κινητικός adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
Hebrew
2 entries- מוֹטִיב noun (music: theme or subject)
- מניע noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Hungarian
1 entries- indíték noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Ido
4 entries- motivo noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motivo noun (music: theme or subject)
- motivo noun (arts: motif)
- motivizar verb (to prompt or incite)
Irish
1 entries- réasún noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Italian
2 entries- motivo noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- movente noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Japanese
1 entries- 動機 noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Korean
1 entries- 동기 noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Ladino
2 entries- sebeb noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- sebep noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Latin
1 entries- ratio noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Macedonian
1 entries- мотив noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Occitan
1 entries- motiu noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Persian
1 entries- انگیزه noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- Drief noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Polish
4 entries- napędowy adj (causing motion)
- ruchowy adj (Relating to motion and/or to its cause)
- motyw noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motyw noun (music: theme or subject)
Portuguese
1 entries- motivo noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Romanian
3 entries- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motiv noun (music: theme or subject)
- rațiune noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Russian
4 entries- дви́жущий adj (causing motion)
- моти́в noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- моти́в noun (music: theme or subject)
- моти́в noun (arts: motif)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- mòtīv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- мо̀тӣв noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Slovak
2 entries- motív noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motív noun (music: theme or subject)
Slovene
1 entries- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Spanish
3 entries- motivo noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- motivo noun (music: theme or subject)
- móbil noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Swedish
1 entries- motiv noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Thai
1 entries- แรงจูงใจ noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Tocharian B
1 entries- ṣarm noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Turkish
1 entries- motif noun (arts: motif)
Ukrainian
3 entries- руші́йний adj (causing motion)
- моти́в noun (a cause to commit a crime)
- моти́в noun (music: theme or subject)
Vietnamese
1 entries- động cơ noun (a cause to commit a crime)
Sample sentences
23 total sentences available.
Your motive was admirable, but your action was not.
Source: tatoeba (16941)
These days, the motive for marriage is not necessarily pure.
Source: tatoeba (18726)
These days, the motive for marriage is not necessarily pure. Take Jennifer for example.
Source: tatoeba (18727)
Showing 4 of 23 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.