| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | incentive, motive |
| Synonyms: | attraction, bait, brainwash*, carrot, cause, come-on, con*, consideration, desire, encouragement, hard sell, hook*, impulse, incitement, influence, leader, lure, reward, snow job, soft soap, spur, stimulus, sweet talk, temptation, twist, urge |
| Notes: | the temporal orientation of incentive is toward the future; that of inducement is toward the past |
| Antonyms: | discouragement, disincentive, hindrance, prevention |
| Main Entry: | bait |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | something for luring |
| Synonyms: | allurement, attraction, bribe, come-on, drag, enticement, inducement, lure, seducement, shill, snare, temptation, trap |
| Main Entry: | bribe |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | payoff to influence illegal or wrong activity |
| Synonyms: | allurement, bait, blackmail, buyoff, compensation, contract, corrupt money, corrupting gift, enticement, envelope*, feedbag, fringe benefit, gift, goody, graft, gratuity, gravy, grease, hush money, ice*, incentive, inducement, influence peddling, kickback, lagniappe, lure, payola, perk*, perquisite, present, price, protection*, remuneration, reward, sop, sweetener, sweetening, take |
| Main Entry: | cause |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | agent, originator |
| Synonyms: | account, agency, aim, antecedent, author, basis, beginning, causation, consideration, creator, determinant, doer, element, end, explanation, foundation, genesis, ground, grounds, incitement, inducement, instigation, leaven, mainspring, maker, matter, motivation, motive, object, occasion, origin, prime mover, principle, producer, purpose, root, source, spring, stimulation |
| Antonyms: | consequence, development, effect, end, fruit, issue, outcome, outgrowth, product, result |
| Main Entry: | decoy |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | bait, trap |
| Synonyms: | allurement, attraction, beard, blind, blow off, booster, camouflage, catch, chicane, chicanery, come-on, deception, drawing card, ensnarement, enticement, facade, fake, front, imitation, inducement, inveiglement, lure, nark, plant, pretense, seducement, shill, sitting duck, snare, stick, stool pigeon, stoolie, temptation, trick, trickery |
| Main Entry: | enticement |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | allurement; persuasion |
| Synonyms: | attraction, bait, blandishment, cajolery, coaxing, come hither, come-on, decoy, fascination, inducement, inveiglement, lure, mousetrap, promise, seduction, snare, sweetener, sweetening, temptation, trap |
| Antonyms: | disgust, dissuasion, repulsion |
| Main Entry: | grounds |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | basis, premise |
| Synonyms: | account, antecedent, argument, base, bedrock, call, cause, chapter and verse, demonstration, determinant, dope*, evidence, excuse, factor, footing, foundation, goods*, groundwork, inducement, info, information*, infrastructure, justification, motive, numbers, occasion, pretext, proof, rationale, reason, root*, seat, straight stuff, substratum, test, testimony, trial, underpinning, wherefore, why, whyfor |
| Main Entry: | invitation |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | proposal; asking |
| Synonyms: | allurement, appeal, attraction, begging, bid, bidding, call, challenge, compliments, coquetry, date, encouragement, enticement, feeler, ground, hit, incitement, inducement, invite, lure, motive, offer, open door, overture, paper, pass, petition, pressure, proffer, prompting, proposition, provocation, rain check, reason, request, solicitation, suggestion, summons, supplication, temptation, urge |
| Main Entry: | lure |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | bait |
| Synonyms: | allurement, ambush, appeal, attraction, bribe, call, camouflage, carrot, come-on, con game, decoy, delusion, draw, enticement, fake, gimmick, hook, illusion, incentive, inducement, inveiglement, invitation, magnet, mousetrap, pull, seducement, seduction, siren song, sitting duck, snare, sweetener, temptation, tout, trap, trick |
| Antonyms: | deterrent, warning |