disincentive

American  

[dis-in-sen-tiv] / ˌdɪs ɪnˈsɛn tɪv /

noun

1. something that discourages or deters; deterrent.

   High interest rates and government regulations are disincentives to investment.

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disincentive British  

/ ˌdɪsɪnˈsɛntɪv /

noun

1. something that acts as a deterrent

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adjective

1. acting as a deterrent

   a disincentive effect on productivity

Etymology

Origin of disincentive

First recorded in 1945–50; dis- ¹ + incentive

Example Sentences

The key to "making work pay" was to remove the disincentive in the existing welfare system to take a job.

From BBC

But they also found that people who received $1,000 put in fewer hours on the job than people who received $50, suggesting that the higher payments provided a disincentive to work.

From The Wall Street Journal

To do this, we must remove the disincentives that keep smaller companies from going public:

From The Wall Street Journal

For many artists, this is another disincentive to recording a protest song.

From The Wall Street Journal

The administration is considering a “carrot-and-sticks” approach to home builders, focusing on incentives and disincentives.

From Barron's

Related Words

• barrier
• difficulty
• hardship
• hindrance
• hitch
• hurdle
• impediment
• interference
• obstruction
• restriction
• snag
• stumbling block