compensatory

American

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

Also compensative

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of compensatory

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

compensatory

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

Soto is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive and compensatory damages.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

Yet North Carolina, which doesn’t limit the amount of compensatory damages that can be awarded, remains the most aggressive battleground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 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

A makeweightflying to the void Supplemental asteroid Or compensatory spark Shoots across the neutral dark.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023