incentive

noun

in-ˈsen-tiv How to pronounce incentive (audio)
Definition of incentivenext
as in impetus
something that arouses action or activity the handsome reward for the missing dog was an incentive for me to start looking

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun incentive contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of incentive are goad, impulse, inducement, motive, and spur. While all these words mean "a stimulus to action," incentive applies to an external influence (such as an expected reward) inciting to action.

a bonus was offered as an incentive

When would goad be a good substitute for incentive?

The synonyms goad and incentive are sometimes interchangeable, but goad suggests a motive that keeps one going against one's will or desire.

thought insecurity a goad to worker efficiency

When could impulse be used to replace incentive?

While in some cases nearly identical to incentive, impulse suggests a driving power arising from personal temperament or constitution.

buying on impulse

When can inducement be used instead of incentive?

The meanings of inducement and incentive largely overlap; however, inducement suggests a motive prompted by the deliberate enticements or allurements of another.

offered a watch as an inducement to subscribe

When might motive be a better fit than incentive?

The words motive and incentive can be used in similar contexts, but motive implies an emotion or desire operating on the will and causing it to act.

a motive for the crime

When is it sensible to use spur instead of incentive?

While the synonyms spur and incentive are close in meaning, spur applies to a motive that stimulates the faculties or increases energy or ardor.

fear was a spur to action

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incentive Within days of taking office, Trump signed an executive order pausing the disbursement of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, despite the fact that red states have largely benefited from the legislation’s clean energy incentives. —Bella Kubach, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025 Executives from the organization recently took a trip to Capitol Hill to push for stronger textile circularity and manufacturing policies, including incentives for nearshoring and de minimis reform. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Mar. 2025 Tech advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation will begin pushing Republicans this week to include an AI tax incentive in the reconciliation package. —Maria Curi, Axios, 6 Mar. 2025 On the plus side, the Department of Energy grant and government incentives will cover the cost of the heat pumps and related renovations. —Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for incentive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incentive
  1. impetus
  2. encouragement
  3. motivation
  4. stimulus
Noun
  • Lagarde, now its executive director, founded the initiative in 2010, but its impetus was New Orleans’ long struggle to rebuild and recover from Hurricane Katrina.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
  • How that plays out depends on a number of factors, such as where the conflict starts and what the impetus is, which would shape the way all major actors and allies respond to whatever acts as the spark.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of impetus
Noun
  • Commercial pilot and licensed psychotherapist shares words of encouragement after recent plane crashes Michaela Renee Johnson says fear is a natural response to seeing the recent aviation disasters and shares thoughts on how people can ultimately tackle their fear.
    — Ashley J. DiMella Fox News, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2025
  • With his signature goofiness and kindhearted nature, Captain Goof-Beard helps Mickey and his friends on treasure hunts and exciting seafaring quests by providing clues, guidance, and encouragement, all while teaching valuable lessons about teamwork and perseverance.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Parents, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of encouragement
Noun
  • Their personal stories also flip their motivations.
    — George Yang, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Hinsdale South wrestler Callie Carr had a simple motivation that helped drive her perfect 39-0 record, which was capped off with a state championship.
    — Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of motivation
Noun
  • Columbia University Grad Detained by ICE That is more than the popular petition for regular stimulus checks during the COVID pandemice, which had a little more than 3,050,000 signatures at time of publication.
    — Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
  • And, congressional Republicans have in the past expressed their dislike of providing tax cuts such stimulus checks and expanded Child Tax Credit payments to low-income and middle-income households in the past.
    — Christian Weller, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of stimulus

Browse Nearby Words

incentive
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incentive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incentive. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on incentive

Nglish: Translation of incentive for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about incentive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All