inducement

as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action gave up smoking only after a prolonged inducement by all the other family members

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the noun inducement contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of inducement are goad, impulse, incentive, motive, and spur. While all these words mean "a stimulus to action," inducement suggests a motive prompted by the deliberate enticements or allurements of another.

offered a watch as an inducement to subscribe

When could goad be used to replace inducement?

While in some cases nearly identical to inducement, goad suggests a motive that keeps one going against one's will or desire.

thought insecurity a goad to worker efficiency

When can impulse be used instead of inducement?

The words impulse and inducement can be used in similar contexts, but impulse suggests a driving power arising from personal temperament or constitution.

buying on impulse

When is incentive a more appropriate choice than inducement?

The meanings of incentive and inducement largely overlap; however, incentive applies to an external influence (such as an expected reward) inciting to action.

a bonus was offered as an incentive

When would motive be a good substitute for inducement?

The words motive and inducement are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, motive implies an emotion or desire operating on the will and causing it to act.

a motive for the crime

When might spur be a better fit than inducement?

In some situations, the words spur and inducement are roughly equivalent. However, spur applies to a motive that stimulates the faculties or increases energy or ardor.

fear was a spur to action

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inducement Or mostly robotic, at least—the fruit flies the researchers used would occasionally go their own way, despite strong inducements to stay with the program. John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025 The various marriages, breakups, affairs, catfights, resurrection storylines, canine dream sequences, and Y2K-panic inducements have been a staple on Australian television, until Amazon took the series global by adding it to its Freevee platform. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2025 The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice. Rachel Hale, USA Today, 14 May 2025 The special inducement is that investors would be relieved of U.S. taxation on their foreign income and no job creation would be required. Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inducement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inducement
Noun
  • The difference was stunning: almost 9x higher conversion.
    Lutz Finger, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • The conversion rate of customers who signed up for a vMVPD after dropping the bundle dropped to 13% during the three-month span, down from the year-ago 28.3%.
    Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Know More In April, Reddit lawyers sent formal legal demands to the University of Zurich, whose researchers used AI to impersonate actual users in an experiment on the powers of AI persuasion.
    Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
  • When healthcare communicators do this well—offering insight, not just persuasion—they are no longer seen as promoters.
    Christy Saia-Owenby, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inducement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inducement. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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