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

That’s the type of stuff that brings a tear to my eye, and that’s the motivator. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2026

The Republican president is a big motivator for Democrats this year. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026

However, there is a strong connection, which should be a motivator to get our hearing checked and get hearing aids if needed. — Helen Dennis, Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026

The possibility of a win by the far-right son of a former president convicted of attempting a coup was apparently a strong motivator. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above