compensatory.

Intended to offset or make up for a loss, deficiency or disadvantage.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• compensatory payment
• compensatory measure

On the page

The compensatory payment addressed the specified loss rather than punishing the recipient.

The measure was compensatory because it offset a disadvantage created by the arrangement.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Relational or evaluative adjective; degree comparison is appropriate only where the relevant characteristic is genuinely gradable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: responsibility analysis, evidence qualification, ethical distinction, institutional judgment. Disciplines: academic writing, ethics, legal-administrative reasoning. Commonness: moderately common.