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

Rules 5.4 and 5.6 give most partners little incentive to finance changes whose payoffs would arrive after they leave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Hacegaba said there’s no timeline yet for when the per-move incentive program could launch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

An exchange doesn’t make money off outcomes and thus has no incentive to ban winners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

"A listed Jio must answer to minority shareholders… which structurally reduces its incentive to keep pricing suppressed."

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

And when the U.S. government asserts that terrorists raise money by selling black-market cigarettes, that acts as a rather jarring moral incentive.

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

At the meeting in St Andrews in September, the Scottish FA proposed quotas, as well as financial incentives, in an attempt to increase game time for young Scottish players.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

If the federal incentive passes, the hope is for U.S. productions to stack incentives and make the U.S. more attractive for major studio shoots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

After the vote, though, those incentives could flip.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Besides proximity to power sources, many of the emerging locations offer attractive tax incentives and smoother permitting processes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Also, a smaller community tends to exert greater social incentives against crime, the main one being shame.

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

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Related Words

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

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