incentive
pronunciation
How to pronounce incentive in British English:
UK [ɪnˈsentɪv]
How to pronounce incentive in American English:
US [ɪnˈsentɪv]
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- Noun:
- a positive motivational influence
- an additional payment (or other remuneration) to employees as a means of increasing output
Word Origin
- incentive (n.)
- early 15c., from Late Latin incentivum, noun use of neuter of Latin adjective incentivus "setting the tune" (in Late Latin "inciting"), from past participle stem of incinere "strike up," from in- "in, into" (see in- (2)) + canere "sing" (see chant (v.)). Sense influenced by association with incendere "to kindle." The adjective use, in reference to a system of rewards meant to encourage harder work, first attested 1943 in jargon of the U.S. war economy; as a noun, in this sense, from 1948.
Synonym
Example
- 1. But we have little incentive to inculcate values arbitrarily .
- 2. This time , uncle sam is providing the incentive .
- 3. Patients thus have a daily incentive to take their terrible pills .
- 4. But the incentive was more than simply financial .
- 5. The second incentive comes from washington .