Word a Day
incentive
What does incentive mean?
incentive (noun): a positive motivational influence.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you use incentive in a sentence?
- Give me some incentive. (Tatoeba sentence #10164889 by ddnktr, CC BY 2.0 FR)
How do you pronounce incentive?
/ɪnˈsɛntɪv/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does incentive come from?
From Medieval Latin incentīvus (“that strikes up or sets the tune”), from incinō (“to strike up”), from in- (“in, on”) + canō (“to sing”) + -ive.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “incentive”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “incentive” mean?
the state of being actual or real
Not quite: that's what reality means.
a building where people go to eat
Not quite: that's what restaurant means.
a room or area for preparing food
Not quite: that's what kitchen means.
a positive motivational influence
Right! That's what “incentive” means.
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