impulse vs motive

motive vs impulse

impulse and motive both are nouns.

impulse is not an adjective while motive is an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
impulse	Yes	No	No	No
motive	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, motive is a hypernym of impulse; that is, motive is a word with a broader meaning than impulse:

impulse: an instinctive motive
motive: 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

Other hypernyms of impulse include motivation, need.

impulse (noun)	motive (noun)
the act of applying force suddenly	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
an impelling force or strength	a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration
the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber	a theme that is repeated or elaborated in a piece of music
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
a sudden desire
an instinctive motive

impulse (adjective)	motive (adjective)
	causing or able to cause motion
	impelling to action

Difference between impulse and motive

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