inducement

Definition of inducementnext
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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Synonym Chooser

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 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. Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2025 Banks began offering toasters and other inducements for new deposits. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 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. Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 12 Nov. 2025 But the pool of men for whom these inducements are attractive has been declining. Jack Watling, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inducement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inducement
Noun
  • The research team, led by Tianyi Ma, a professor at the School of Science at RMIT, combined the carbon removal and conversion processes into a single step, thereby reducing energy use and the complexity of deploying this process.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The city aims to attract businesses downtown, invest in entrepreneurs and support office-to-residential conversions.
    Jon Murray, Denver Post, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Their power lies not in persuasion, but in legibility.
    Debbie Millman, Time, 7 Jan. 2026
  • That fosters consensus building, persuasion and accountability.
    Rob Moore, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • But Putin cannot have needed much persuading to agree to a formal invitation to the US to have the bilateral meeting his team have long held out as the way towards peace in Ukraine.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
  • In the framework of conversational intelligence, most workplace communication falls into Level 1 (telling) or Level 2 (persuading).
    Susan Curtin, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inducement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inducement. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on inducement

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