Reward

v.joyful, kindprofessional

Meaning 1

To give recognition, benefit, or compensation for effort, service, or achievement.

Reach for it when describing a fitting return without treating every good act as transactional

The program rewards careful maintenance as well as rapid repair.

warm
honor
when public respect is central
not when Honor is ceremonial and may not suit routine performance.
professional
compensate
when payment answers work, cost, or loss
not when Compensation is owed and may not express appreciation.
professional
incentivize
when encouraging future behavior through benefit is the aim
not when Incentivize is managerial jargon and can crowd out intrinsic motives.
professional
recognize
when acknowledgment matters more than a prize
not when Recognition need not provide a material return.
formal
remunerate
when formal payment for work is precise
not when Remunerate is financial and too technical for praise.

To produce a satisfying benefit in return for effort or patience.

Reach for it when describing how an activity or choice yields value

The slow climb rewards patience with a wide view of the valley.

everyday
repay
when effort receives a fitting return
not when Repay frames the benefit as a debt.
professional
benefit
when creating practical advantage is enough
not when Benefit lacks the sense of return for effort.
professional
yield
when an action produces a measurable result
not when Yield is neutral and may describe an unwanted outcome.
formal
gratify
when satisfying a wish or desire is central
not when Gratify can imply indulgence.

reward effort
The exhibition should reward effort without hiding differences in quality.
reward good work
Managers reward good work most credibly when standards were clear.
richly reward
The difficult route can richly reward careful walkers.
reward patience
The final chapter will reward patience with a clear answer.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.