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 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

There have been better strategists, more creative thinkers and maybe even greater motivators. —Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026

Mamdani is a social media phenomenon and powerful motivator for civic engagement. —Terri Gerstein, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above