incentivize

I1N1C3E1N1T1I1V4I1Z10E1
/ɪnˈsɛntɪvaɪz/

verb

To provide incentives for; to encourage.

“They effectively incentivized people to overinvest in home ownership.”

Opposite
disincentivize
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Meanings

verbincentivize (third-person singular simple present incentivizes, present participle incentivizing, simple past and past participle incentivized)

present singular third person incentivizes · participle present incentivizing · participle past incentivized · past incentivized · alternative incentivise

  1. BritishEnglishOxfordUStransitivebusinessTo provide incentives for; to encourage.

    The US government seeks to incentivize home ownership through a favorable tax system.

    1 more example

    City staff are recommending ways Toronto can incentivize the construction of 20,000 purpose-built rental homes.

    2024 October 30, Ethan Lang, “Toronto council to consider rental development incentives”, in CBC.ca
  2. BritishEnglishOxfordUStransitivebusinessTo provide incentives to.

    They effectively incentivized people to overinvest in home ownership.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
disincentivize
Also see
driveincentify

Origin

From incentive + -ize.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German Anreize schaffen, belohnen
  • Anreize schaffento provide incentives to (a person or organization)
  • belohnento provide incentives to (a person or organization)
  • begünstigento provide incentives for (a behavior or action)
Spanish incentivar, incentivar
  • incentivarto provide incentives to (a person or organization)
  • incentivarto provide incentives for (a behavior or action)
Cite this entry
APA

incentivize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incentivize

MLA

“incentivize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incentivize. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “incentivize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/incentivize.

Source: incentivize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.