— motiveless , adj. — motivelessly , adv. — motivelessness , n.
/moh"tiv/ , n., adj., v., motived, motiving .
n.
1. something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc.; incentive.
2. the goal or object of a person's actions: Her motive was revenge.
3. (in art, literature, and music) a motif.
adj.
4. causing, or tending to cause, motion.
5. pertaining to motion.
6. prompting to action.
7. constituting a motive or motives.
v.t.
8. to motivate.
[ 1325-75; (adj.) ME ( motif ) motivus serving to move, equiv. to L mot ( us ) (ptp. of movere to MOVE) + -ivus -IVE; (n.) ME ( motif ) motivum, n. use of neut. of motivus ]
Syn. 1. motivation, incitement, stimulus, spur; influence, occasion, ground, cause. MOTIVE, INCENTIVE, INDUCEMENT apply to whatever moves one to action. MOTIVE is, literally, something that moves a person; an INDUCEMENT, something that leads a person on; an INCENTIVE, something that inspires a person. MOTIVE is applied mainly to an inner urge that moves or prompts a person to action, though it may also apply to a contemplated result, the desire for which moves the person: His motive was a wish to be helpful.
INDUCEMENT is never applied to an inner urge, and seldom to a goal: The pleasure of wielding authority may be an inducement to get ahead. It is used mainly of opportunities offered by the acceptance of certain conditions, whether these are offered by a second person or by the factors of the situation: The salary offered me was a great inducement. INCENTIVE was once used of anything inspiring or stimulating the emotions or imagination: incentives to piety; it has retained of this its emotional connotations, but (rather like INDUCEMENT) is today applied only to something offered as a reward, and offered particularly to stimulate competitive activity: to create incentives for higher achievement. 2. See reason .