disincentive
Americannoun
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something that discourages or deters; deterrent.
High interest rates and government regulations are disincentives to investment.
noun
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something that acts as a deterrent
adjective
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acting as a deterrent
a disincentive effect on productivity
Etymology
Origin of disincentive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In postwar America, the 40-hour week became the norm for millions of workers, with overtime pay acting as a disincentive for employers to require longer hours.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
As contracts begin to wind down, the NAO said there is a disincentive for the private companies to spend money before they hand over responsibility for maintaining the buildings to public bodies.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2025
“We’re trying to take something that they view as kind of a thorn in their side and use it as a disincentive for the kind of behavior we’re seeing,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2024
These factors create a massive financial disincentive to actually solve our planetary crisis.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2024
The intended restricted uses of early writing provided a positive disincentive for devising less ambiguous writing systems.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.