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 And faith in the data and transparency provided by the U.S. government on such things as inflation, growth, jobs, and fair enforcement of laws and regulations were essential as an inducement. Robert Hormats, Time, 12 Aug. 2025 Iranian leaders have little reason to trust American inducements to dialogue, but Trump may be able to use his disdain for politics as usual to change the narrative. Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025 What starts as support can, under closer inspection, appear to be an inducement. Angela Palo, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025 College sports leaders have long lamented that those deals are de facto pay-for-play inducements, not legitimate endorsement deals. Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for inducement
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inducement
Noun
  • Transactions across 300 stores, e-commerce, loyalty scans, TikTok Shop sales, creator posts, and affiliate conversions all flow into systems built by Chief Digital and Information Officer Shirley Gao.
    Jamie Gutfreund, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Williams and the Bears began to stall completely on securing crucial third down conversions.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sales in this industry is less about persuasion and more about education and communication.
    Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Knowledge-wise, science may be advancing, but, politically, its powers of persuasion are in retreat, in a moment defined, in many ways, by ignorance and narrow-minded grievance.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
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 9 Sep. 2025.

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