incentive

The word “incentive” means something that motivates or encourages a particular action. In plain terms, a reason or reward that pushes someone to do something.

“Incentive” is pronounced ihn-SEHN-tihv (/ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ in IPA).

Here is “incentive” used in a sentence: “The company offers a cash incentive for employees who refer new hires.”

The opposite of “incentive” — its antonyms — is disincentive.

“Incentive” is a noun.

The word “incentive” comes from Medieval Latin. From Medieval Latin incentivus, "striking up a tune," from Latin canō, "to sing" — the sense shifted to "motivating" partly under the influence of the unrelated-looking incendō, "to set on fire.".

“Incentive” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

An incentive is usually something external offered to encourage a particular action, such as a reward or bonus. A motive is the internal reason a person has for acting, which may exist even without any outside encouragement.

An incentive is offered in advance to motivate someone to act, while a reward is given afterward for something already achieved. The same thing, such as a payment, can act as an incentive beforehand and a reward once earned.

Incentive often pairs with financial, tax, cash, and added, as in "financial incentive" or "tax incentive." It is also commonly followed by "to," as in "an incentive to save."

A bonus is one specific kind of incentive — usually an extra financial reward — whereas incentive is a broader term for anything that motivates or encourages an action. Not every incentive is money, but a bonus almost always is.