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.
Meaning 2
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.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| everyday | ||
| warm |
| |
| professional |
| |
| formal |
warm
Fits when public respect is central
Careful Honor is ceremonial and may not suit routine performance.
professional
compensate
Fits when payment answers work, cost, or loss
Careful Compensation is owed and may not express appreciation.
professional
incentivize
Fits when encouraging future behavior through benefit is the aim
Careful Incentivize is managerial jargon and can crowd out intrinsic motives.
professional
Fits when acknowledgment matters more than a prize
Careful Recognition need not provide a material return.
formal
remunerate
Fits when formal payment for work is precise
Careful Remunerate is financial and too technical for praise.
everyday
repay
Fits when effort receives a fitting return
Careful Repay frames the benefit as a debt.
professional
Fits when creating practical advantage is enough
Careful Benefit lacks the sense of return for effort.
professional
Fits when an action produces a measurable result
Careful Yield is neutral and may describe an unwanted outcome.
formal
Fits when satisfying a wish or desire is central
Careful 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.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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