ulterior motive

noun

: a secret reason
I think she has an ulterior motive for helping us.

Examples of ulterior motive in a Sentence

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The more Prabhu schemes while praying in temples or on river banks, the more his political aspirations begin to feel like a dharma — a religious duty or calling — rather than simply an ulterior motive beneath a religious façade. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025 Once, Lily came downstairs and hugged her father — but had an ulterior motive. Jackie Tempera, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025 Others think that networking is about approaching other people with the blatant ulterior motive of selling something, as if the very essence of networking is transactional and manipulative. Jay Sullivan, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 The hotel had an ulterior motive: to save money on laundry. Kristin Hostetter, Outside Online, 9 Aug. 2023 Prince's guest appearance on New Girl may have had an ulterior motive. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024 In contrast to a genuine consumption-boosting stimulus package, the current set of measures appears to have an ulterior motive: strengthening China’s ability to outcompete the West economically and militarily. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 31 Oct. 2024 Even if people aren’t sharing with an ulterior motive, there’s still the issue of whether these spontaneous videos could worsen mental health. Tanyel Mustafa, refinery29.com, 16 July 2024 Questions with an ulterior motive are also not a good move. Sophie Mancini, Vogue, 2 July 2024

Dictionary Entries Near ulterior motive

Cite this Entry

“Ulterior motive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ulterior%20motive. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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