Key Difference: Today, we are going to discuss the difference between motive and intention in the English language. Many people think that they are the same, but they literally have different meanings from each other. A motive is nothing but an objective to achieve something. Whereas, intention refers to the plan to do something. Let’s see the contradictions below.
Motive: What’s your motive?
Intention: She has very good intentions.
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Motive:
An objective.
A motive is nothing but an objective or a goal to achieve something. Let’s see an example to make it clear for you. Only one motive will change your life. From this statement, we might understand that a goal can change our life. Here we come up with another example for your reference. They have no motive. From this sentence, we might understand that some people have no motive.
How Do We Spell the Word Motive?
The phonetics pronunciation of the word Motive is ˈməʊtɪv. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllabification refers to the process of division of words into smaller parts. It is commonly known as syllables. With its help, you can easily read and spell the word accurately. Here, you will see how to split the word “Motive” by syllables.
- The word “Motive” has two syllables.
- It can be divided into “Mo-tive.”
Using “Motive” in sentences:
- What is the primary motive of this action?
- There was a practical motive for using this weapon.
- What was his motive for doing it?
- Everyone should improve their motive power.
- The police are still trying to establish a motive for the attack.
Intention:
It is an aim or plan.
An intention refers to the aim or plans to do something. Let’s see an example to make it clear for you. I have no intention of making you scared. From this statement, we might understand that someone said that he or she does not have the plan to scare another person. Here we come up with another example for your reference. He has no intention of marrying yet. From this statement, we might understand that someone has no plat to marry.
How Do We Spell the Word Intention?
Phonetics pronunciation of the word Intention is ɪnˈtɛnʃn. And this word sounds like the following audio.
Enunciation:
Syllables are phonological building blocks of words. It divides the words into parts that can help you read words more accurately. Let’s see how to split the word How using syllables. Learning syllables can also help you to spell words correctly.
- The word “Intention” has three syllables.
- It can be divided into “In-ten-tion.”
Using “Intention” in sentences:
- What’s your intention in doing that?
- My original intention was to paint in the morning.
- He had no intention of playing with kids.
- I have every intention of honoring our contract.
- She announced her intention to stand for Parliament.
Compare: Motive Vs Intention
This table will show the contradiction between the words’ Motive and Intention.
| Motive | Intention | |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is an objective or purpose for doing something. | It refers to the aim or plan to do something. |
| Synonyms | Reason, occasion, purpose, object | Aim, intent, target, plan |
| Antonyms | Neglect, discouragement, hindrance | Flexible, unconcerned, unfixed |
| Etymology | late Middle English: from Old French motif (adjective used as a noun), from late Latin motivus, from movere ‘to move’. | late Middle English: from Old French entencion, from Latin intentio(n- ) ‘stretching, purpose’, from intendere. |
| Examples | She is acting from a selfish motive. He is shooting him with no motive. What was her motive for doing it? The motive for the murder is not yet known. | That was not my intention. It is not my intention to return. I have no intention of telling you the result. He hinted at his intention. |
Resources and References:
Resources: Cambridge Dictionary (Motive, Intention), Merriam-Webster (Motive, Intention), Collins Dictionary (Motive, Intention), Dictionary.com (Motive, Intention)
Reference: Dictionary.Cambridge.org[1], Merriam-Webster.com[2], CollinsDictionary.com[3], Dictionary.com[4].