Motive
Motive noun - The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior.
Usage example: he acted with the best of motives
Need
Need noun - The psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior.
How words are described
| good | good motive | good need |
| special | special motive | special need |
| particular | particular motive | particular need |
| specific | specific motive | specific need |
| Other adjectives: original, true, obvious, selfish, strong, powerful, actual, real, big, little, bad, personal, secret, new, possible, apparent, different. | ||
Both words in one sentence
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This is also a bit of foreshadowing for the sequel, where you need to get a youki into similar contraptions to provide motive power for other devices.
Source: Hamster-Wheel Power - He was an important politician, so they did need a strong case, but everyone acted like it was the motive that was important, not the evidence.
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Motive Rant: Ishmael does this sometimes regarding his seeming need to go to sea, and Ahab does this constantly.
Source: Literature / Moby-Dick
Cite this Source
Need and Motive. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/need
Motive & Need. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/need>.
Need or Motive. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/need.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "motive" and "need" have occurred on timeline