incentivize
in-SEN-tih-vyz
/ɪnˈsen.tɪ.vaɪz/
To provide someone with a strong reason or motive for doing something, typically through rewards or benefits.
Specifically implies using a structured reward system to guide or manipulate behavior toward a desired outcome.
The story behind the word. This word has a surprisingly musical history. It traces back to the Latin incentivus, meaning 'setting the tune' or 'inciting,' which comes from incinere ('to sing or play an instrument'). Originally, an incentive was like a piper playing a tune that made everyone else dance; today, companies play the tune of rewards to make consumers dance to their beat.
Word relationships
- motivate: Motivate is a broader psychological term that can refer to internal drive, whereas incentivize specifically implies offering an external, tangible reward.
- encourage: Encourage is general and can involve verbal support, while incentivize always involves a structured benefit or reward.
- discourage: Discourage means to deter someone from taking action, whereas incentivize means to actively drive them toward an action.
- deter: Deter implies preventing action through fear or difficulty, the exact opposite of inviting action through rewards.
Commonly confused with
- instigate: Instigate means to initiate or provoke an action (often negative), whereas incentivize means to encourage positive action through rewards.
Word family
- incentive (noun): A thing that motivates or encourages one to do something.
Collocations
- incentivize performance
- incentivize customers
- incentivize behavior
- strongly incentivize
Example sentences
- "We need to incentivize our sales team with higher commissions to boost performance this quarter." Corporate strategy meeting
- "The government aims to incentivize green energy adoption by offering substantial tax credits to homeowners." Government policy debate
Memory hook
Think of 'in-cent-ivize' as putting 'cents' (money) into someone's pocket to make them do what you want. Incentivize: Play the tune of rewards.
When not to use
Do not use when simply asking or ordering someone to do something without offering an external reward.
Fun facts
- The verb 'incentivize' only became common in business English in the late 20th century, initially criticized by language purists who preferred 'motivate'.
Related words
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