incentive

American  

[in-sen-tiv] / ɪnˈsɛn tɪv /

noun

• incentives
  plural

1. 

   something that incites or tends to incite to action or greater effort, as a reward offered for increased productivity.

   Synonyms:

   prod, goad, encouragement, impulse, incitement, spur, stimulus

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adjective

1. inciting, as to action; stimulating; provocative.

incentive British  

/ ɪnˈsɛntɪv /

noun

1. a motivating influence; stimulus

2. 1. an additional payment made to employees as a means of increasing production

   2. ( as modifier )

      an incentive scheme

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adjective

1. serving to incite to action

Synonym Usage

See motive.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterincentive
  noun
• preincentive
  noun
• superincentive
  noun
• nonincentive
  adjective
• incentively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• incentives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of incentive

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Late Latin incentīvus “provocative,” in Latin: “setting the tune,” from incent(us) “played” (past participle of incinere “to play (an instrument, tunes),” from in- in- ² + -cinere, combining form of canere “to sing”) + -īvus -ive

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Explanation

If your mom wants you to mow the lawn but you don't feel like it, she might offer to treat you to ice cream after as an incentive. An incentive is something that stimulates you to take action or work harder. This noun dates back to Middle English, from Late Latin incentivum, from incentivus, "stimulating." In Latin, incentivus meant "setting the tune," from incinere, "to sing." The related English verb is incentivize. The less common verb incent was first used in the early 1980s, and has been criticized as business jargon.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

incentive incentives

Not long ago, CEOs and other senior leaders got these awards only occasionally, often as an incentive to retain favored executives or reward them for unexpected wins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The findings are being released as the industry rallies for a new federal film and TV tax incentive bill.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

While giving their kids a pensions head start is a powerful incentive for some parents, how do the children themselves feel about not being able to touch the money for potentially 50 years or more?

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Not long ago, CEOs and other senior leaders typically got these one-off awards only occasionally, often as an incentive to retain favored executives or reward them for unexpected wins and overcoming tough challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The chance of going to jail—thereby losing your job, your house, and your freedom, all of which are essentially economic penalties—is certainly a strong incentive.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Aid Coalition president Jonathan Barsade told AFP the accusation had "no foundation whatsoever" and that the NGO does not provide financial incentives.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Airbnb, the tournament’s official fan accommodation, offered new hosts $750 incentives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Lennar currently has to offer incentives such as rate buydowns worth 12% of the value of a home to get deals done.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

“With bonds offering potentially similar returns, but considerably lower expected volatility, investors such as pension funds and retirement managers may have greater incentives to shift money from stocks into fixed income,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

Financial incentives aside, it would have been difficult for anyone to say no to America’s greatest man.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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Related Words

• encouragement
• enticement
• impetus
• motivation
• reason
• stimulus

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