disincentivize
Americanverb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of disincentivize
First recorded in 1985–90; dis- 1 ( def. ) + incentivize ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Alan Greenspan, then-chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, argued for increasing the gas tax to as high as 30 cents a gallon—which would be roughly $2 in today’s dollars—to disincentivize gas consumption.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
The league made it harder for the worst teams to secure the best prospects in a bid to disincentivize teams from copying the Sabres’ dismal playbook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Many also endorsed proposals to disincentivize private investment firms from buying up homes as well as a $25-billion bond proposed by former Sen. Bob Hertzberg to help first-time homebuyers afford a down payment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026
"Betting markets incentivize being right and disincentivize being wrong. If you're right you make money, if you're wrong you lose money," said Crane, the Rutgers professor.
From Salon ● Dec. 3, 2024
But since it is easy for people to lie and get around the “age-gating,” companies are on the hook to disincentivize kids from faking their age, Zweifel-Keegan said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2023
Well, those three first-rounders should be much more valuable if other teams are disincentivized to trade their first-rounders, seeing how even middle-of-the-pack teams will have a shot at winning the lottery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
Still, some experts defend the rule, citing ways in which the original policy disincentivized warehousing people in psychiatric institutions, a longstanding goal of patient rights and mental health advocates.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2022
The guidelines’ silence on mild disease, he says, has disincentivized him from widening his focus.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 20, 2022
“People were disincentivized to go to work,” Mr. Grech said.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2021
Others, such as congestion, crashes, and the degraded quality of neighborhoods and the environment, get disincentivized by both taxes.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2021
“I think this is probably a time to worry less about disincentivizing growth and worry more about making sure that everyone gets a part of that growth,” Amodei said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
“This bill closes that loophole and makes the existing law stronger, and it’s an important step in disincentivizing water theft,” Rivero said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
By 1996, the United States had signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty—credited not only with stopping the environmental damage of nuclear testing, but also with disincentivizing new weapons designs.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 20, 2023
“And I worry about disincentivizing that by creating a financial barrier.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
A report published in September 2022 by the national nonprofit the Learning Policy Institute suggests that Congress target McKinney-Vento dollars based on student homelessness numbers to promote better identification, rather than disincentivizing it.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
