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

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

Similarly, pride in one’s work was cited as the top employee motivator (46%) in The Business Motivation Report by Forty1. —Leeatt Rothschild, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

Loneliness and curiosity are among the biggest motivators for downloading these companion platforms. —Gina Cherelus, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025

The power of food as a travel motivator has never been stronger. —Regan Stephens, Travel + Leisure, 14 Jan. 2025

The hearings are often contentious, and serve as a powerful motivator for deciding on a salary ahead of the deadline. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above