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

Sure, safety and environment concerns are motivators. —Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

New survey data also shows that while having kids is expensive, children are good motivators for parents to get their finances in order. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

Natural Habitat Adventures reports that its gorilla trekking trips are about 50 percent ahead year-over-year, and luxury travel experts Black Tomato have seen its Rwanda trips increase 50 percent since 2019, with gorilla trekking the main motivator for its clients. —Gaby Keiderling, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025

Pellerin cites smart writing as his central motivator for picking roles. —William Earl, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above