compensatory

American  

[kuhm-pen-suh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / kəmˈpɛn səˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

Also compensative

adjective

1. serving to compensate, as for loss, lack, or injury.

2. countercyclical.

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Other Word Forms

• noncompensative adjective
• noncompensatory adjective
• recompensatory adjective
• subcompensative adjective
• subcompensatory adjective
• uncompensative adjective
• uncompensatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of compensatory

First recorded in 1595–1605; compensate + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

Meta was quick to note that compensatory damages in the Los Angeles case totalled just $3 million, with a further $3 million in punitive damages awarded by the jury Wednesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

“The body defends its highest sustained weight. So when weight decreases, compensatory mechanisms intensify. GLP‑1s blunt these signals, but they do not eliminate them entirely.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

"But similar evolutionary signatures in primates suggest this kind of compensatory evolution may be widespread and studying it could clarify how genomes retain ancient functions while adapting to ever-shifting threats," Levine says.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

Since he signed with the Dodgers, Chicago will receive a compensatory selection in the 2026 draft.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026

Still others projected their hurts and longings into more naive and mundane forms—blues, jazz, swing—and, without intellectual guidance, tried to build up a compensatory nourishment for themselves.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright