Learn English – what can be the antonyms of “motivation”

antonyms

What words or phrases can work best as containing the opposite (antonyms) meaning of the word, "motivation(s)"?

I am trying to find a word that describes the "reasons that make a person not want to do something." For example, watching political TV programs motivates viewers to want to vote. The Watching TV is serving as motivation for political engagement in this sense. What would be the opposite meaning of motivation in this context? For instance, if I want to say "watching political commercials makes people not want to vote (I am making up a sentence here)." What would be the noun form for demotivation? Other words or phrases than demotivation in this context?

Best Answer

The term disincentive means

a factor, especially a financial disadvantage, that tends to discourage people from doing something: spiraling house prices are beginning to act as a disincentive to development

If you need a verb form, at least one source cites disincentivize.