Meaning & use
compensation
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Meanings
noununcountable
Money or something else given to someone to make up for loss, injury or damage.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, followed by for: compensation for the delay.
Patterns
- compensation for something
- receive compensation
The airline paid compensation for the canceled flight.
He received compensation after the accident.
The residents demanded compensation for the damaged roofs.
noununcountablebusiness
Pay and benefits given to an employee for their work.
Grammar: Business sense; includes salary, bonuses and benefits.
Patterns
- compensation package
The executive's compensation includes a large bonus.
The job offers good compensation and flexible hours.
Her compensation was based on performance.
nouncountable or uncountable
Something that balances out a disadvantage or makes a bad situation easier to accept.
Grammar: Often used with the idea of a compensation for a drawback.
Patterns
- compensation for something
The view was some compensation for the long climb.
One compensation of living far away is the quiet.
The bright side was little compensation for the loss.
noununcountabletechnical
In psychology, behavior that tries to make up for a weakness in another area.
Grammar: Technical sense in psychology.
His loud confidence was a form of compensation for his shyness.
Psychologists describe overworking as compensation for low self-esteem.
Compensation can occur when one sense replaces another.
Common combinations
- claim compensation
- You may claim compensation for the injury.
- financial compensation
- They offered financial compensation to every victim.
- in compensation for
- She was given a gift card in compensation for the delay.
- compensation package
- The compensation package includes health insurance.
- workers' compensation
- He applied for workers' compensation after the injury.
- adequate compensation
- The court found that the payment was adequate compensation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reparation
- Reparation is formal and usually refers to making amends for a serious wrong, often by a country or group.
- damages
- Damages is the legal term for money a court orders someone to pay for harm.
- recompense
- Recompense is a literary word for payment or reward for effort or loss.
- remuneration
- Remuneration is a formal word for payment for work.
Word family
- compensate verb
- to make up for a loss or pay someone
- compensatory adjective
- intended to make up for a loss
- compensated adjective
- paid or balanced
- overcompensate verb
- to try too hard to make up for something
Commonly confused: compensation or complement?
compensation vs complement
A complement completes or goes well with something, while compensation makes up for a loss.
Practice
The airline offered passengers ____ for the eight-hour delay.
Choose one answer.
Compensation is money or a gift given to make up for a loss. Complement, compression and competition have different meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “compensation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.