as in encouragements
something that arouses action or activity
the handsome reward for the missing dog was an incentive for me to start looking
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Recent Examples of incentives
House members who occupy safe seats have fewer incentives to compromise or work across the aisle.
—
Ashley Wu, New York Times, 18 May 2026
This enables local semiconductor manufacturers to access state and federal tax incentives.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
What changes in valuations, liquidity or incentives could alter the outcome?
—Thierry Brunel, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
At Cannes, Goldfinch signed a deal with Jakarta to explore talent and film infrastructure development, along with policy studies regarding film-industry incentives.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Shooting in Spain’s Canary Islands, Spanish films can tap 54-45% tax incentives, among the most competitive in Europe.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 18 May 2026
Many are located on land owned by local communities and leased to safari operators, meaning tourism revenue provides jobs and income in rural areas, creating powerful incentives to protect wildlife and keep landscapes wild.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026
To offset some of the cost of the cuts, the law repeals several existing tax credits and sales tax exemptions, including incentives tied to teleworking expenses, electric and hybrid vehicles, and medical equipment manufacturing.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Staged funding and equity incentives gave investors and founders room to learn and adjust.
—David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Ashley Wu, New York Times, 18 May 2026
This enables local semiconductor manufacturers to access state and federal tax incentives.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 18 May 2026
What changes in valuations, liquidity or incentives could alter the outcome?
—Thierry Brunel, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
At Cannes, Goldfinch signed a deal with Jakarta to explore talent and film infrastructure development, along with policy studies regarding film-industry incentives.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
Shooting in Spain’s Canary Islands, Spanish films can tap 54-45% tax incentives, among the most competitive in Europe.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 18 May 2026
Many are located on land owned by local communities and leased to safari operators, meaning tourism revenue provides jobs and income in rural areas, creating powerful incentives to protect wildlife and keep landscapes wild.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026
To offset some of the cost of the cuts, the law repeals several existing tax credits and sales tax exemptions, including incentives tied to teleworking expenses, electric and hybrid vehicles, and medical equipment manufacturing.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 11 May 2026
Staged funding and equity incentives gave investors and founders room to learn and adjust.
—David H. Hsu, Fortune, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incentives
Noun
-
All through the park, competitors and onlookers hit vapes and shout tips and encouragements into trees.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
-
In October 2024 ahead of her own stay at MSG, Billie Eilish recorded encouragements to take the subways for environmental benefits.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Each pilgrim is drawn to Hyperion for a private reckoning with the Shrike, and their motivations reveal a spectrum of human concerns.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
-
Despite engaging performances, though, the characters’ motivations don’t always ring true, leading to some frustrating and unconvincing plot developments.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Perhaps sensing this, the league trotted out a series of onstage stimuli between picks.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
Eliciting disgust, even through unrelated stimuli, can intensify moral judgment.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incentives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incentives. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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