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

Our preferred airline is a transfer partner Since our hometown airport is a hub for United, the fact that United Airlines is a transfer partner of the Sapphire Preferred was a huge motivator. —Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

The desire to stand on the correct side of history is a heavy motivator. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2025

There’s no tragic backstory here, no traumatic childhood event that turned Murdaugh into a killer, no motivators past greed. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025

The proud dad of three also shared that his growing family is one of his biggest motivators. —Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above