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

In a world of mass production, these items offer exclusivity and a story—both key motivators for modern buyers. —Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

The financial incentives may be a strong motivator for young people, who have been particularly buffeted by economic headwinds, Dr. Fares says. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Nov. 2024

Enter another motivator for traveling in the off-season, when business owners aren’t stretched quite so thin by overtourism. —Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2024

Her mother Holly Thomas, who served as her foremost role model, confidante, and motivator, had died the previous year from a brain tumor. —Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above