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

Overall, the survey found that renovating homeowners often cite dissatisfaction with the old kitchen’s style as their top motivator at 41 percent, followed by kitchen deterioration or dysfunction as a top motivator (38 percent). —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 19 Jan. 2026

Geno Auriemma, Connecticut women’s basketball coach Auriemma has become synonymous with women’s basketball, a direct communicator and master motivator who built perhaps the sport’s greatest dynasty. —The Athletic Peak Staff, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

But in practice, coaches are expected to act as the ultimate motivator, recruiter, and tactician—while serving as the first and loudest recipient of blame when things go wrong. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026

That fear would become the governing political motivator. —Meg Walters, Glamour, 14 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above