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

But principles may be an unusually powerful motivator for Anthropic employees. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026

An intense and demanding motivator of his players, nobody could ever be entirely certain of their place on the team. —Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026

And that becomes a new motivator for them. —Mitch Light, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026

Friendly competition is a motivator as the moon and Mars harmonize. —Usa Today, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above