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

The awareness of economic costs is a good motivator for change. —Rachel Braun Scherl, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

Geiger, a George Mason recruit, confirmed that Urban can be a top-notch motivator. —Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

The higher concentration of investors in California, particularly those focused on early-stage funding, is a major motivator to go west, founders say. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Radford also said that his 40th birthday served as an additional motivator to seek out the title. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1918, in the meaning defined above