incentive

See also: incentivé

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  incentivus (“that strikes up or sets the tune”), from incinere (“to strike up”), from in (“in, on”) + canere (“to sing”). The formation appears to have been influenced by incendere ' to set on fire'.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈsɛntɪv/
• Rhymes: -ɛntɪv

Noun

incentive (plural incentives)

1. Something that motivates, rouses, or encourages.
   • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:

     It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].

   I have no incentive to do housework right now.

2. A bonus or reward, often monetary, to work harder.

   Management offered the sales team a $500 incentive for each car sold.

Antonyms

• disincentive

Derived terms

• incentivise/incentivize, tax incentive

Translations

something that motivates

• Bulgarian: подбуда (bg) f (podbuda), стимул (bg) m (stimul)
• Catalan: incentiu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 刺激 (zh) (cìjī), 誘因／诱因 (zh) (yòuyīn), 诱因 (zh) (yòuyīn)

• Danish: incitament n, gulerod (da) c
• Dutch: drijfveer (nl) f, aansporing (nl), incentief n, stimulans (nl) m, prikkel (nl) m
• Esperanto: stimulo, igilo, motivigo, konvinkilo
• Finnish: kannustin (fi), kannuste (fi), insentiivi, kiihoke (fi), virike (fi), yllyke (fi), porkkana (fi)
• French: intérêt (fr) m, motivation (fr) f
• German: Anreiz (de) m, Ansporn (de) m
• Hebrew: תמריץ (tamritz)
• Hungarian: ösztönző (hu), ösztönzés (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: spreagadh m
• Japanese: 動機 (ja) (どうき, dōki), 誘因 (ja) (ゆういん, yūin), 刺激 (ja) (しげき, shigeki)
• Latin: incitamentum n
• Persian: مشوق (fa) (mošavveq)
• Polish: zachęta (pl) f
• Portuguese: incentivo (pt) m, motivação (pt) f
• Russian: сти́мул (ru) m (stímul), моти́в (ru) m (motív), мотива́ция (ru) f (motivácija)
• Slovene: motivacija f, spodbuda f
• Spanish: incentivo (es) m, aliciente (es)
• Swedish: morot (sv) c, incitament (sv) n
• Turkish: teşvik (tr)

cash bonus

• Bulgarian: премия (bg) f (premija)
• Catalan: incentiu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 獎勵／奖励 (zh) (jiǎnglì), 奖励 (zh) (jiǎnglì), 報酬／报酬 (zh) (bàochóu), 报酬 (zh) (bàochóu)

• Czech: pobídka f
• Dutch: bonus (nl) m, premie (nl) f
• Finnish: palkkio (fi), kannustuspalkkio, tulospalkkio, bonus (fi)
• French: récompense (fr) f
• German: Bonus (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: תמריץ (tamritz)
• Hungarian: ösztönző (hu)
• Japanese: 報酬 (ja) (ほうしゅう, hōshū), 賞与 (しょうよ, shōyo)
• Polish: bonus (pl) m, premia (pl) f
• Portuguese: incentivo (pt) m
• Russian: поощре́ние (ru) n (pooščrénije), пре́мия (ru) f (prémija), бо́нус (ru) m (bónus), вознагражде́ние (ru) n (voznagraždénije)
• Spanish: incentivo (es) m
• Turkish: teşvik primi

Adjective

incentive (comparative more incentive, superlative most incentive)

1. Inciting; encouraging or moving; rousing to action; stimulating.
   • (Can we date this quote by Dr. H. More and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Competency is the most incentive to industry.

2. Serving to kindle or set on fire.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Part incentive reed / Provide, pernicious with one touch of fire.

Further reading

• “incentive”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “incentive”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Vicentine

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Latin

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) incentīve

1. vocative masculine singular of incentīvus

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Portuguese

Verb

incentive

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of incentivar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of incentivar
3. first-person singular imperative of incentivar
4. third-person singular imperative of incentivar

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Spanish

Verb

incentive

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of incentivar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of incentivar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of incentivar.