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Motivate vs Incent - What's the difference?

motivate | incent |

As verbs the difference between motivate and incent

is that motivate is to provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage while incent is to provide an incentive to (a person or organization).

motivate

English

Verb

(motivat)
  • To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage.
  • * The weekly staff meeting was meant to motivate employees.
  • To animate; to propel; to cause to take action
  • * He was motivated purely by self-interest.
  • * Steam motivated pumps are used in manufacturing.
  • Antonyms

    * demotivate

    incent

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (US) To provide an incentive to (a person or organization).
  • We need to incent people to innovate more.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2007, date=February 24, author=Damon Darlin, title=At Intuit, What Comes After Taxes?, work=New York Times citation
  • , passage=We try to incent people to do it earlier, which levels the load.}}
  • *
  • (US) To provide an incentive for (something).
  • We need to incent more innovation.
  • *
  • Usage notes

    * Less common than incentivize at COCA. * Used relatively more than (incentivize) to refer to providing an incentive for an individual action.

    Anagrams

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