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

Massie argued that temporarily dumping cheaper foreign beef into the American market could lower prices without giving U.S. ranchers an incentive to raise more cattle.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

The summer increase in U.S. yields was starting to pressure on stocks, boosting the incentive for the administration to act.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

It was also a story about millions of businesses acquiring the ability - and the incentive - to accept digital payments.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Paying for outcomes instead of visits is the missing incentive that turns what the AI flags into care someone is paid to deliver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He hated running, but the applause was intoxicating, and the prospect of more was just enough incentive to keep him marginally compliant.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Louisiana Economic Development said it offered SpaceX a conditional “competitive incentives package” that requires the company to create jobs, invest capital and donate $25 million to a local charity.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Builders like Lennar and PulteGroup were optimistic earlier this year that they might finally be able to reduce profit-sapping incentives like mortgage-rate buydowns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Whether that money will buy new jobs or subsidize existing ones is the open question, said Patrick Button, a film and TV tax incentives skeptic and professor of economics at Tulane University.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Massive investment in infrastructure, coupled with policy incentives to attract data centre builders, have earned Guizhou one of the highest debt burdens in the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

The incentives of the real-estate business, as currently configured, plainly encourage some agents to act against the best interests of their customers.

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

Related Words

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