compensation

[kom-puhn-sey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act or state of compensating, as by rewarding someone for service or by making up for someone's loss, damage, or injury by giving the injured party an appropriate benefit.

2. the state of being compensated or rewarded in this way.

3. something given or received as an equivalent for services, debt, loss, injury, suffering, lack, etc.; indemnity.

   The insurance company paid him $2000 as compensation for the loss of his car.

   Synonyms: indemnification, satisfaction, requital, reparation, amends, payment, recompense

4. Biology.,  the improvement of any defect by the excessive development or action of another structure or organ of the same structure.

5. Psychology.,  a mechanism by which an individual attempts to make up for some real or imagined deficiency of personality or behavior by developing or stressing another aspect of the personality or by substituting a different form of behavior.

compensation

/ ˌkɒmpɛnˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of making amends for something

2. something given as reparation for loss, injury, etc; indemnity

3. the automatic movements made by the body to maintain balance

4. the attempt to conceal or offset one's shortcomings by the exaggerated exhibition of qualities regarded as desirable

5. biology abnormal growth and increase in size in one organ in response to the removal or inactivation of another

Other Word Forms

• compensational adjective
• noncompensation noun
• precompensation noun
• procompensation adjective
• subcompensation noun
• subcompensational adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of compensation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English compensacioun, from Latin compēnsātiōn-, stem of compēnsātiō “a balancing”; equivalent to compensate + -ion

Example Sentences

Survival options include becoming high-value products like The Economist; implementing blocking techniques; or winning compensation through lawsuits or partnerships, as the New York Times, Associated Press and AFP have done.

Read more on Barron's

A change in control of Citgo would mark the final chapter in a lengthy effort by Venezuela’s foreign creditors to seize the refiner as compensation for asset expropriations and debt defaults.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A Belgian court case brought by a farmer seeking compensation from oil giant TotalEnergies for damage caused by climate change was suspended after the judging panel recused itself, both parties said Tuesday.

Read more on Barron's

That means coordinating flows of income, withdrawals, Roth IRA conversions, charitable giving, capital gains, and equity compensation so that your income lands in the optimal tax bracket over time.

Read more on Barron's

The commissioner added many elderly victims were still struggling with the trauma of what happened to them and still fighting for compensation.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• allowance 
• benefit 
• bonus 
• coverage 
• earnings 
• fee 
• indemnity 
• pay 
• payment 
• payoff 
• premium 
• profit 
• redress 
• reimbursement 
• remittance 
• remuneration 
• reparation 
• restitution 
• reward 
• salary