disincentive

American  

[dis-in-sen-tiv] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈsɛn tɪv /

noun

1. something that discourages or deters; deterrent.

   High interest rates and government regulations are disincentives to investment.

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disincentive British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈsɛntɪv /

noun

1. something that acts as a deterrent

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adjective

1. acting as a deterrent

   a disincentive effect on productivity

Etymology

Origin of disincentive

First recorded in 1945–50; dis- ¹ + incentive

Example Sentences

To do this, we must remove the disincentives that keep smaller companies from going public:

From The Wall Street Journal

For many artists, this is another disincentive to recording a protest song.

From The Wall Street Journal

The administration is considering a “carrot-and-sticks” approach to home builders, focusing on incentives and disincentives.

From Barron's

In postwar America, the 40-hour week became the norm for millions of workers, with overtime pay acting as a disincentive for employers to require longer hours.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Clearly, the rush hour trains are already packed. And if you remove the disincentive to travel, it would mean more would want to travel on those trains," said Bruce Williamson from campaign group Railfuture.

From BBC

Related Words

• barrier
• difficulty
• hardship
• hindrance
• hitch
• hurdle
• impediment
• interference
• obstruction
• restriction
• snag
• stumbling block