compensatory

IPA/ˌkɒmpenˈseɪtəri/
KK[kəmpˈɛnsətˌɔri]IPA/kəmˈpensətɔːri/

compensatory — adjective

  • compensatorypositive
  • more compensatorycomparative
  • most compensatorysuperlative

1. relating to money or something of value that is given to someone because they ha

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to money or something of value that is given to someone because they have suffered a loss, injury, or inconvenience — for example, a worker receiving extra pay after a workplace accident, or a passenger getting a voucher after a cancelled flight.

Example

Camila received compensatory payments from her employer after the injury at the factory.

compensatory + noun (payments) after loss or injury

The airline offered compensatory vouchers to passengers whose evening flight was cancelled.

compensatory + noun (vouchers) for inconvenience

Common collocations
  • compensatory damages
  • compensatory payment
  • compensatory leave
  • compensatory award
  • compensatory support
Synonyms
  • reparative

    focuses on repairing what was broken; less common in everyday financial contexts

  • restitutionary

    strictly legal term for returning something to its rightful owner

Antonyms
  • punitive

    designed to punish rather than make up for a loss; used in law (punitive damages)

Grammar Patterns

compensatory + noun (damages, payment, leave, award)

Usage Note

Commonly used before nouns in legal and financial contexts. Typical noun partners include 'damages', 'payment', 'leave', 'award', and 'support'.

Common Mistakes

The court gave compensatory to the victim.
The court gave compensatory damages to the victim.
'compensatory' is an adjective and cannot be used alone as a noun.

2. designed to reduce or balance the harmful or negative effects of something, with

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

designed to reduce or balance the harmful or negative effects of something, without necessarily involving money — for example, an exercise programme that offsets the health risks of a desk job, or extra classes that help students who have fallen behind.

Example

Reema used compensatory strategies to help her study after missing three weeks of school.

compensatory + noun (strategies) for an educational shortfall

Regular walking can have a compensatory effect on the health risks of sitting at a desk all day.

compensatory effect on health risks

Common collocations
  • compensatory strategy
  • compensatory measure
  • compensatory effect
  • compensatory response
  • compensatory mechanism
Synonyms
  • balancing

    more general and less formal; a balancing measure vs. a compensatory measure

  • offsetting

    emphasises neutralising a negative effect rather than making up for a loss

  • corrective

    focuses on fixing a problem rather than reducing its effect

Antonyms
  • aggravating

    making a negative situation worse instead of better

Grammar Patterns

compensatory + noun (measure, strategy, mechanism, effect)

Usage Note

Typically used before nouns that name actions, plans, or natural responses designed to offset a problem. The sense is broader than sense 1 and does not involve financial payment.

Common Mistakes

I took a compensatory nap because I was tired.
The school offered compensatory classes for students who were behind.
'compensatory' is too formal and technical for everyday personal actions like resting.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words all describe actions that address a problem, but they differ in focus. 'Compensatory' is the broadest and most common in legal and financial contexts—it means giving something (often money) to make up for a loss or damage. 'Reparative' focuses on repairing or fixing what was broken, with a stronger sense of restoring something to its original state; it is more common in psychological and social contexts (e.g., reparative justice). 'Remedial' targets a specific problem or deficiency and aims to correct it—typically used in education (remedial classes) or medicine (remedial exercises). 'Restorative' emphasises bringing something back to a healthy, strong, or positive state, often used in wellness, justice reform (restorative justice), and healthcare. For everyday situations involving money or payment for a loss, 'compensatory' is the right choice: 'The court awarded compensatory damages to the workers.' For fixing a skill gap, use 'remedial': 'She took remedial maths classes.' For healing relationships, use 'restorative' or 'reparitive': 'The community held a restorative meeting after the conflict.'

compensatory ↗reparative ↗remedialrestorative

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • as a compensatory measure
  • in compensatory payment for

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'compensatory' comes from Latin 'compensare', meaning 'to weigh together' or 'to balance'. 'Compensare' was formed from 'com-' (together) and 'pensare' (to weigh, to think). The past participle 'compensatus' gave rise to the English verb 'compensate' in the 1600s. Adding the adjective suffix '-ory' (meaning 'relating to' or 'serving to') produced 'compensatory' in the early 1800s. The core idea of weighing one thing against another to create balance runs through all the senses of the word.

First known use

1646

1646, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1