deterrent
dih-TUR-unt
/dɪˈtɛrənt/
A thing that discourages or is intended to discourage someone from doing something.
In criminology, it refers to the idea that the threat of punishment will prevent people from committing crimes.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'de-' (away) and 'terrere' (to frighten). Literally, it means to 'frighten away' someone from a particular course of action.
Word relationships
- disincentive: A more general term for something that discourages an action.
- incentive: Something that encourages or motivates an action.
Commonly confused with
- prevention: Prevention stops an act physically; a deterrent stops it psychologically.
Word family
- deter (verb): To discourage someone from doing something.
Collocations
- effective deterrent
- nuclear deterrent
- serve as a deterrent
Example sentences
- "Some argue that the death penalty is a deterrent to crime, while others point to studies showing it has no such effect." Criminology
- "The possession of nuclear weapons is often justified as a deterrent against foreign aggression." International relations
Memory hook
Deterrent = De-Terror. You use fear (terror) to stop (de) someone. Deter = Stop through fear.
When not to use
Do not use for things that physically block an action; a deterrent works through fear or logic.
Fun facts
- The 'Scarecrow' is a classic example of a physical deterrent in agriculture.
- The 'broken windows theory' suggests that visible signs of crime serve as a deterrent to further lawbreaking.
Related words
Explore more words
deterrence, punitive, disincentive, dissuade, prohibit, retributive
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.