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

… won a reputation as a leader and a motivator …

—Leonard Silk

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

Maybe Alesia will let her fury power her; anger, after all, is a great motivator. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026

Fear and politics are big motivators for gun sales. —Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026

Money didn’t appear to be his only motivator. —Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026

During the conversation, Stacey explained how the athletes were one of the main motivators in the retailer’s decision to partner with Unrivaled last year. —Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above