Author Topic: Is "incentive" a verb now?? (Read 2773 times)

Ela · « **on:** February 29, 2008, 10:21:37 AM »

For the first time today, I saw forms of the word "incentive" used as a verb.

"Let's incent people to register for our conference by offering an early-bird discount."
"Incenting people to register by offering an early-bird discount is a great idea."
"We incented early registrants last year by offering the opportunity to attend a special event."

So, is "incent" a verb now? My husband says he's heard this usage before but it sounds weird and wrong to me.

What do others think?

Porter · « **Reply #1 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:29:23 AM »

I can't say I've heard it before, but it seems straightforward and the meaning is obvious. I think it's fine.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #2 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:31:29 AM »

Of course not! Just ask Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Incents and peppermints, meaningless nouns.

Jonathon · « **Reply #3 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:45:10 AM »

I've heard it before, and I dislike it, too. What ever happened to incentivize?

Porter · « **Reply #4 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:50:55 AM »

Quote

What ever happened to incentivize?

The same thing that happened to utilizie.

Jonathon · « **Reply #5 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:57:05 AM »

For those to be really analogous, we'd have to have a new verb util or ute.

Porter · « **Reply #6 on:** February 29, 2008, 10:59:14 AM »

Or use.

Jonathon · « **Reply #7 on:** February 29, 2008, 11:06:26 AM »

But that's not analogous for multiple reasons. Use entered the English lexicon about 600 years before utilize, and though the two are related, neither is simply a form of the other—use comes from a different form of the stem and took a different evolutionary path.

Incent, on the other hand, is simply a backformation of incentive which came after incentivize had already been coined. Also, incent and incentivize appear to be completely interchangeable, while use and utilize are not, despite their overlap.

Sheila · « **Reply #8 on:** February 29, 2008, 11:10:44 AM »

Quote

I've heard it before, and I dislike it, too. What ever happened to incentivize?

Incentivize is alive and well in the DoD.

Ela · « **Reply #9 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:02:50 PM »

Incentivize is a real word?? I have to say I've never heard that one.

Porter · « **Reply #10 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:05:26 PM »

I know. It sounds to my ears exactly like utilize.

Neutros the Radioactive Dragon · « **Reply #11 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:13:30 PM »

It's not "incentivate"?

"Incentiary"?

Jonathon · « **Reply #12 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:14:08 PM »

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Incentivize is a real word?? I have to say I've never heard that one.

Yup—a relatively recent coinage. And incent was a little more recent. They both sound like business jargon to me, much like utilize, but incent sounds about ten times worse to my ears.

Ela · « **Reply #13 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:25:36 PM »

So they're both real words, Jon? Wild.

I must be getting old.

Jonathon · « **Reply #14 on:** February 29, 2008, 01:28:56 PM »

As real as anything else, I suppose.

Ela · « **Reply #15 on:** March 01, 2008, 09:42:02 PM »

My husband told me he has never heard "incentivize" but he has heard "incentify."

(My spellcheck doesn't like either of these words.)