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

And, economic pain is one of our greatest motivators. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

Injury reduction, in addition to more exciting plays, was a key motivator for the league to change the rules. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025

More importantly, deadlines trigger loss aversion, one of our most powerful psychological motivators. —Juliette Han, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

Children are both a key motivator and cudgel for these men. —Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above