Goal and Motive

Goal

Goal noun - Something that one hopes or intends to accomplish.

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Motive and goal are semantically related In some cases you can use "Motive" instead a noun "Goal".

Nearby Words: goalless, goalie

Motive noun - A major object of interest or concern (as in a discussion or artistic composition).

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Goal and motive are semantically related in aim topic. Sometimes you can use "Goal" instead a noun "Motive".

good	good goal	good motive
clear	clear goal	clear motive
common	common goal	common motive
specific	specific goal	specific motive
Other adjectives: stated, original, noble, initial, true, sinister, actual, entire, real, main, personal, ultimate, new, major, sole, possible, apparent, secondary, primary, overall.

Doomsday knows he's been manipulated since birth to hate Superman but he also doesn't care and embraces that he has no goal or motive beyond killing him.

Source: No-Nonsense Nemesis
In a particularly bad case, the character might not even remember what their original motive was, and substitute the old goal with explicitly evil ones.

Source: The Dark Side Will Make You Forget
Motive Decay: In her first appearance, Iciclia's main goal was to steal enough montegoberries to keep looking Young and she was foiled.

Source: Western Animation / Atomic Betty

Cite this Source

Motive and Goal. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/goal/motive

Goal & Motive. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/goal/motive>.

Motive or Goal. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/goal/motive.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "goal" and "motive" have occurred on timeline