What does incent mean?
Incent is a formal verb meaning to encourage or prompt someone to take a particular action. It is especially used when an inducement is involved, as in describing how a tax reduction may incent a business to invest. The construction “incent someone to do something” is standard. Although the word can suggest strong motivation in a broad sense, it often carries the implication that people are being deliberately stimulated through a reward, benefit, or persuasive appeal. Its association with public policy, business, and official language has made it sound institutional or slightly old-fashioned, and ordinary speakers will often choose the more familiar “encourage” or “motivate.” Today, incent is relatively uncommon, but it remains useful when the reason for someone’s action is specifically meant to be emphasized.
verbTo encourage or prompt someone to do something, especially by offering an inducement. The word is now rare and is usually encountered in formal or literary contexts.
- To encourage, motivate, or prompt someone to act, especially by means of an inducement.
"The company offered tax relief to incent businesses to invest in the region."
"Lower borrowing costs may incent small businesses to expand."
"The speech was intended to incent greater participation in public life."
The word began with the image of being set on fire: its Latin ancestor meant “inflamed” before it came to mean “moved to action.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does incent come from?
The word comes through Medieval Latin from Latin incentus, “inflamed” or “encouraged,” a participle associated with incendo, “to set on fire, inflame.” Latin gradually extended the image of fire to mean arousing or impelling people to action. The same broad Latin family also produced English “incentive” and “incendiary,” while “incense” in its sense of a substance burned as an offering has a related history.
Related word forms
How incent is actually used
Incent is formal and relatively uncommon. It is normally used in the construction “incent someone to do something” and often implies an external inducement rather than personal enthusiasm.
Easily confused with incent
Incite means to provoke or stir someone into action, whereas incent more often means to encourage action by providing a reason or inducement.
An incentive is a reward or inducement, while incent is the verb describing the act of encouraging someone through such a motivation.