"ulterior motive" meaning in English

See ulterior motive in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: ulterior motives [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} ulterior motive (plural ulterior motives)
  1. An alternative or extrinsic reason for doing something, especially when concealed or when differing from the stated or apparent reason. Related terms: hidden agenda Translations (alternative or hidden reason for doing something): segona intenció [feminine] (Catalan), 不可告人的動機 (Chinese Mandarin), 不可告人的动机 (bùkěgàorén de dòngjī) (Chinese Mandarin), 別有用心 (english: to have an ulterior motive) (Chinese Mandarin), 别有用心 (biéyǒuyòngxīn) (Chinese Mandarin), 他心 (tāxīn) (Chinese Mandarin), bagtanke [common-gender] (Danish), verborgen beweegredenen (Dutch), taka-ajatus (Finnish), motif secret [masculine] (French), arrière-pensée [feminine] (French), idée derrière la tête (French), Hintergedanke [masculine] (German), υστεροβουλία (ysterovoulía) [feminine] (Greek), hátsó szándék (Hungarian), aidhm fholaigh [feminine] (Irish), 下心 (shitagokoro) (alt: したごころ) (Japanese), 他心 (tashin) (alt: たしん) (Japanese), 他意 (tai) (alt: たい) (Japanese), 배후목적 (baehumokjeok) (Korean), ramayu (Ladino), задна цел (zadna cel) (Macedonian), baktanke [masculine] (Norwegian), segunda intenção [feminine] (Portuguese), за́дняя мысль (zádnjaja myslʹ) [feminine] (Russian), скры́тый моти́в (skrýtyj motív) [masculine] (Russian), скривени мотив [Cyrillic, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), skriveni motiv [Roman, masculine] (Serbo-Croatian), segunda intención [feminine] (Spanish), baktanke [common-gender] (Swedish), art niyet (Turkish), art düşünce (Turkish)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for ulterior motive meaning in English (6.6kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ulterior motives",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ulterior motive (plural ulterior motives)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Serbo-Croatian terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant script codes",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1895, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 9, in The Stark Munro Letters",
          "text": "There lurks no bribe in the smell and beauty of the flower. Its charm has no ulterior motive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1941 December 8, “Poetry”, in Time",
          "text": "The poet is a man without a profit or any other kind of ulterior motive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Philip Sington, Zoia's Gold, Scribner, page 197",
          "text": "I have an ulterior motive, of course. I want a progress report on the catalog. You've been so mysterious about the whole thing, people are starting to talk.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An alternative or extrinsic reason for doing something, especially when concealed or when differing from the stated or apparent reason."
      ],
      "id": "en-ulterior_motive-en-noun-01-FMkqR",
      "links": [
        [
          "alternative",
          "alternative"
        ],
        [
          "extrinsic",
          "extrinsic"
        ],
        [
          "reason",
          "reason"
        ],
        [
          "stated",
          "stated"
        ],
        [
          "apparent",
          "apparent"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "hidden agenda"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "segona intenció"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "不可告人的動機"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "bùkěgàorén de dòngjī",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "不可告人的动机"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "english": "to have an ulterior motive",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "別有用心"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "biéyǒuyòngxīn",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "别有用心"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "tāxīn",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "他心"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "bagtanke"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "verborgen beweegredenen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "taka-ajatus"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "motif secret"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "arrière-pensée"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "idée derrière la tête"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Hintergedanke"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "ysterovoulía",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "υστεροβουλία"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "hátsó szándék"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "aidhm fholaigh"
        },
        {
          "alt": "したごころ",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "shitagokoro",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "下心"
        },
        {
          "alt": "たしん",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tashin",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "他心"
        },
        {
          "alt": "たい",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tai",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "他意"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "baehumokjeok",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "배후목적"
        },
        {
          "code": "lad",
          "lang": "Ladino",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "ramayu"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "zadna cel",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "задна цел"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "baktanke"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "segunda intenção"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "zádnjaja myslʹ",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "за́дняя мысль"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "skrýtyj motív",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "скры́тый моти́в"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "скривени мотив"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "skriveni motiv"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "segunda intención"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "baktanke"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "art niyet"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
          "word": "art düşünce"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ulterior motive"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ulterior motives",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "ulterior motive (plural ulterior motives)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "hidden agenda"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Serbo-Croatian terms with redundant script codes"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1895, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter 9, in The Stark Munro Letters",
          "text": "There lurks no bribe in the smell and beauty of the flower. Its charm has no ulterior motive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1941 December 8, “Poetry”, in Time",
          "text": "The poet is a man without a profit or any other kind of ulterior motive.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Philip Sington, Zoia's Gold, Scribner, page 197",
          "text": "I have an ulterior motive, of course. I want a progress report on the catalog. You've been so mysterious about the whole thing, people are starting to talk.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An alternative or extrinsic reason for doing something, especially when concealed or when differing from the stated or apparent reason."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "alternative",
          "alternative"
        ],
        [
          "extrinsic",
          "extrinsic"
        ],
        [
          "reason",
          "reason"
        ],
        [
          "stated",
          "stated"
        ],
        [
          "apparent",
          "apparent"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "segona intenció"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "不可告人的動機"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "bùkěgàorén de dòngjī",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "不可告人的动机"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "english": "to have an ulterior motive",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "別有用心"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "biéyǒuyòngxīn",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "别有用心"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "tāxīn",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "他心"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "bagtanke"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "verborgen beweegredenen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "taka-ajatus"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "motif secret"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "arrière-pensée"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "idée derrière la tête"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Hintergedanke"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "ysterovoulía",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "υστεροβουλία"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "hátsó szándék"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "aidhm fholaigh"
    },
    {
      "alt": "したごころ",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "shitagokoro",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "下心"
    },
    {
      "alt": "たしん",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tashin",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "他心"
    },
    {
      "alt": "たい",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tai",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "他意"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "baehumokjeok",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "배후목적"
    },
    {
      "code": "lad",
      "lang": "Ladino",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "ramayu"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "zadna cel",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "задна цел"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "baktanke"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "segunda intenção"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "zádnjaja myslʹ",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "за́дняя мысль"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "skrýtyj motív",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "скры́тый моти́в"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "скривени мотив"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "skriveni motiv"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "segunda intención"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "baktanke"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "art niyet"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "alternative or hidden reason for doing something",
      "word": "art düşünce"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ulterior motive"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (1d5a7d1 and 304864d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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