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

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

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

He was paid partly in stock - a common trade-off at start-ups as a hiring incentive.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Indonesia is also buying more panels, though generous energy subsidies and a strict quota system give consumers little incentive to switch.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

The premium in January 2027 over October 2026 prices gives marketers an incentive to fill regional storage, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

In the past, it has indicated that investors could see more volatility ahead, as options dealers have less of an incentive to dampen big market swings with their hedging behavior.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026

So what was wrong with the incentive at the Israeli day-care centers?

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

But the U.S. and Iran each have economic incentives to ease the closure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Chasing incentives across jurisdictions is largely the province of major studios.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Carmakers have responded by offering other incentives and trying to restrain price increases.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Successive governments offered tax incentives, invested in infrastructure and encouraged multinational companies to set up large operations.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Or consider the automobile dealership: a salesman does his best to obscure the car’s base price under a mountain of add-ons and incentives.

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

Related Words

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