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Synonyms

compensation

American  
[kom-puhn-sey-shuhn] / ˌkɒm pənˈseɪ ʃən /

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 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of compensation

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

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.

A new U.S. accounting standard approved in 2024 will require companies to disaggregate quarterly expenses into five specific categories, including depreciation, amortization of intangible assets, and employee compensation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Public company investors can vote on mergers, executive compensation plans, and other issues they put forward as part of the proxy process.

From Barron's

College-athlete compensation has gotten so complicated, and so important for staying competitive, that many schools have begun hiring general managers to navigate their informal salary caps and oversee recruitment — similar to how pro teams operate.

From MarketWatch

Civil Aviation Authority notes, if you received less than seven days’ notice of the cancellation, you may be entitled to compensation, unless the airline proves “extraordinary circumstances.”

From MarketWatch

He promised compensation for affected farmers and safeguards to limit imports if domestic producers were harmed.

From Barron's