35 uses
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1 —10 uses as in:
What is her motive?
Definition
a reason for doing something
- It would be interesting to know what motives could have induced the two accomplices to form such an insane plan.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (56% in)
- All the others would come from frivolous motives, perhaps insulting to the elder.Book 1 — The History Of A Family (98% in)
- As soon as signs of decomposition had begun to appear, the whole aspect of the monks betrayed their secret motives in entering the cell.Book 7 — Alyosha (13% in)
- Would you consent to explain what motives precisely led you to such a sentiment of hatred for your parent?Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (24% in)
- "Couldn't you, without abandoning your resolution to be silent about the chief point, could you not, at the same time, give us some slight hint as to the nature of the motives which are strong enough to induce you to refuse to answer, at a crisis so full of danger to you?"Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (52% in)
- He told the story without going into motives or details.Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (54% in)
- "He is guilty, but he will be acquitted, from motives of humanity, in accordance with the new ideas, the new sentiments that had come into fashion," and so on, and so on.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (7% in)
- People said afterwards that he was actuated by unworthy motives in his criticism of Ivan, because the latter had on one or two occasions got the better of him in argument, and Ippolit Kirillovitch, remembering it, tried now to take his revenge.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (43% in)
- The same lady, bathed in tears of long-concealed indignation, alleged that he, he of all men, had despised her for her action, which, though incautious, reckless perhaps, was still dictated by lofty and generous motives.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (44% in)
- People would have suspected first the man who had a motive, a man who had himself declared he had such motives, who had made no secret of it; they would, in fact, have suspected the son of the murdered man, Dmitri Fyodorovitch.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (55% in)
There are no more uses of "motive" flagged with this meaning in The Brothers Karamazov.
Typical Usage
(best examples)
? —25 uses
exact meaning not specified
- Any other feeling, any other motive would be unnatural.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (59% in)
- Fyodor Pavlovitch was all his life fond of acting, of suddenly playing an unexpected part, sometimes without any motive for doing so, and even to his own direct disadvantage, as, for instance, in the present case.Book 1 — The History Of A Family (16% in)
- He always has some motive.Book 2 — An Unfortunate Gathering (64% in)
- Your brother Ivan writes theological articles in joke, for some idiotic, unknown motive of his own, though he's an atheist, and he admits it's a fraud himself—that's your brother Ivan.Book 2 — An Unfortunate Gathering (80% in)
- Alyosha felt that his brother had taken the first step towards him, and that he had certainly done this with some definite motive.Book 3 — The Sensualists (75% in)
- Do you think she kissed Grushenka's hand first, on purpose, with a motive?Book 3 — The Sensualists (93% in)
- Do not think my question frivolous; on the contrary, I have in asking the question a secret motive of my own, which I will perhaps explain to you later on, if it is God's will that we should become more intimately acquainted."Book 6 — The Russian Monk (46% in)
- Besides, what motive had he for murdering the old man?Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (46% in)
- What was your motive for making such a secret of it?Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (68% in)
- "Yes, of course!" cried Mitya, striking himself on the forehead; "forgive me, I'm worrying you, and am not explaining the chief point, or you'd understand in a minute, for it's just the motive of it that's the disgrace!Book 9 — The Preliminary Investigation (72% in)
- Habit is the great motive-power.Book 10 — The Boys (27% in)
- Scarcely more than an hour before, I suggested gold mines to him, and here they talk of 'middle-aged charms' as though that were my motive!Book 11 — Ivan (13% in)
- I lead you to belief and disbelief by turns, and I have my motive in it.Book 11 — Ivan (89% in)
- The object of the prisoner's continual and violent anger was not the sum itself; there was a special motive at the bottom of it.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (47% in)
- That motive is jealousy!Book 12 — A Judicial Error (47% in)
- But, if it were on purpose, the question arises at once, what was his motive?Book 12 — A Judicial Error (53% in)
- That may be so, but answer me one question: what motive had he for such a counterfeit?Book 12 — A Judicial Error (53% in)
- But not having a shadow of the motive that the prisoner had for the murder—hatred, jealousy, and so on—Smerdyakov could only have murdered him for the sake of gain, in order to appropriate the three thousand roubles he had seen his master put in the envelope.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (54% in)
- Even if he had been accused of the murder, it could only have been thought that he had committed it from some other motive.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (55% in)
- But since no one had observed any such motive in him beforehand, and every one saw, on the contrary, that his master was fond of him and honored him with his confidence, he would, of course, have been the last to be suspected.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (55% in)
- People would have suspected first the man who had a motive, a man who had himself declared he had such motives, who had made no secret of it; they would, in fact, have suspected the son of the murdered man, Dmitri Fyodorovitch.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (55% in)
- He looked as though he was in a fever, he spoke of the blood that cried for vengeance, the blood of the father murdered by his son, with the base motive of robbery!Book 12 — A Judicial Error (67% in)
- I will not touch on it either, but will only venture to observe that if a lofty and high-principled person, such as that highly respected young lady unquestionably is, if such a person, I say, allows herself suddenly in court to contradict her first statement, with the obvious motive of ruining the prisoner, it is clear that this evidence has been given not impartially, not coolly.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (77% in)
- "The talented prosecutor, with extraordinary subtlety, sketched for us all the arguments for and against the hypothesis of Smerdyakov's guilt, and asked us in particular what motive he had in feigning a fit.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (84% in)
- "Getting out of bed, he goes almost unconsciously and with no definite motive towards the sound to see what's the matter.Book 12 — A Judicial Error (85% in)
There are no more uses of "motive" in The Brothers Karamazov.
Typical Usage
(best examples)