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

The guides, who are not credentialed educators, supervise students and act as motivators and mentors. —Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026

Molinari explained how this increased national and now international spotlight is a huge motivator for restaurateurs across Metro Detroit. —Jeffrey Popovich, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

Close has long been dismissed as a motivator rather than a tactical strategist, but her success at UCLA is changing the conversation. —Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026

The Los Angeles Lakers will play without star Luka Doncic on Monday due to a one-game suspension, but one thing will serve as an extra motivator. —Matthew Davis, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above