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

See Examples For:

compensatory

At a low dose, the drug primarily works by reducing several harmful compensatory responses that occur when the heart is struggling.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

When one Indiana walking club formerly using the hot-girl designation rebranded as “Hotwalk Indy,” Lind filed for compensatory damages.

From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026

He has demanded both compensatory damages to redress his own harms as well as punitive damages “to deter future unconstitutional conduct.”

From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026

“Obesity is a chronic, relapsing, biologically defended disease. 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. 20, 2026

I do this sometimes as a compensatory tactic.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides