Adjacent Words

Incentive definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INCEN'TIVE, a. [Low L. incentivus, from incendo, to burn.]
Inciting; encouraging or moving.
Competency is the most incentive to industry.
INCEN'TIVE, n. [Low L. incentivum.]
1. That which kindles or inflames; used now in a figurative sense only.
2. That which moves the mind or operates on the passions; that which incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action; that which prompts to good or ill; motive; spur. The love of money, and the desire of promotion, are two most powerful incentives to action.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a positive motivational influence [syn: incentive, inducement, motivator] [ant: deterrence, disincentive]
2: an additional payment (or other remuneration) to employees as a means of increasing output [syn: bonus, incentive]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin incentivum, from neuter of incentivus stimulating, from Latin, setting the tune, from incentus, past participle of incinere to play (a tune), from in- + canere to sing — more at chant Date: 15th century something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action Synonyms: see motive • incentive adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 (often foll. by to) a motive or incitement, esp. to action. 2 a payment or concession to stimulate greater output by workers. --adj. serving to motivate or incite. Etymology: ME f. L incentivus setting the tune f. incinere incent- sing to (as IN-(2), canere sing)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incentive In*cen"tive, a. [L. incentivus, from incinere to strike up or set the tune; pref. in- + canere to sing. See Enchant, Chant.] 1. Inciting; encouraging or moving; rousing to action; stimulative. Competency is the most incentive to industry. --Dr. H. More. 2. Serving to kindle or set on fire. [R.] Part incentive reed Provide, pernicious with one touch of fire. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incentive In*cen"tive, n. [L. incentivum.] That which moves or influences the mind, or operates on the passions; that which incites, or has a tendency to incite, to determination or action; that which prompts to good or ill; motive; spur; as, the love of money, and the desire of promotion, are two powerful incentives to action. The greatest obstacles, the greatest terrors that come in their way, are so far from making them quit the work they had begun, that they rather prove incentives to them to go on in it. --South. Syn: Motive; spur; stimulus; incitement; encouragement; inducement; influence.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(incentives) If something is an incentive to do something, it encourages you to do it. There is little or no incentive to adopt such measures... = inducement N-VAR: oft N to-inf

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Incitement, inducement, stimulus, impulse, spur, provocative, goad, motive, cause, encouragement.

Moby Thesaurus

agitational, agitative, bait, bribe, carrot, catalyst, clout, compulsion, drive, driving force, encouragement, enticement, fillip, fomenting, goad, impellent, impelling force, impetus, impulse, impulsion, incendiary, incitement, inciting, incitive, inducement, inflammatory, instigating, instigative, interest, invitation, irresistible force, lure, moment, momentum, motivation, motive power, payment, percentage, persuasive, power, prod, profit, propulsion, provocation, rabble-rousing, reward, spur, stimulant, stimulation, stimulative, stimulus, sweetener, sweetening, thrust, whet