Motive and Subject

Motive

Motive noun - A major object of interest or concern (as in a discussion or artistic composition).
Usage example: the principal motive of the piece was introduced in the flute section

Subject is a synonym for motive in motif topic. In some cases you can use "Subject" instead a noun "Motive".

Subject

Subject noun - A major object of interest or concern (as in a discussion or artistic composition).
Usage example: the subject of our discussion switched from who would be the next president to who was the greatest president in the nation's history

Motive is a synonym for subject in issue topic. Sometimes you can use "Motive" instead a noun "Subject".

How words are described

good good motive good subject
special special motive special subject
particular particular motive particular subject
similar similar motive similar subject
Other adjectives: common, specific, perfect, original, true, obvious, actual, entire, real, dark, main, important, new, major, sole, possible, primary, unknown, different, recent.

Both words in one sentence

  • Franchise / Alvin and the Chipmunks This moment became the subject of controversy when the song surfaced on YouTube in 2007, with one troll's comments about The Chipettes being, "A pedophilic rape waiting to happen," sparking an entire internet article as to what exactly the motive behind The Chipettes are.
  • Note that this is not a Motive Rant; the tone of the conversation will be very calm and gentle despite the subject matter, as indicated by many of the examples...
Cite this Source
Subject and Motive. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 07, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/subject
Motive & Subject. N.p., 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/subject>.
Subject or Motive. 2016. Accessed August 07, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/motive/subject.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "motive" and "subject" have occurred on timeline