motivator

noun

mo·​ti·​va·​tor ˈmō-tə-ˌvā-tər 

plural motivators

: one that motivates or impels someone or something

a subconscious motivator of behavior

: such as

a

: a factor or situation that causes people to feel motivated to do something : incentive

Only a fool, though, would deny that money is a very real and basic need and, of course, a motivator of sorts.

—Robert W. Corl

Exercising with someone else … can be a motivator.

—Joanne Lannin

Andre Harris, without basketball as a motivator, had slipped back into bad habits academically.

—John Feinstein

b

: a person who motivates others

But Romo's not an enabler; he's a motivator, says [Jessica] Simpson. "If I'm not feeling good about myself, he'll say, 'Get your butt up and go to the gym then!'"

—Michelle Tan

Examples of motivator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Great leaders act not only as motivators but as designers of collaboration. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Trump has pointed to trade deficits as a key motivator of his tariff policy. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 May 2025

In reality, however, one of the current war’s most important motivators is Sudan’s vast mineral and agricultural wealth. —Mai Hassan, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2025

Her motivator was her sister with special needs getting into a Pittsburgh care facility, and as long as King’s sister is there, King is going to stay here, too. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above