to compensate
24
4.8
- verb
- /ˈkɒmpənˌseɪt/
:
compensar
- He became an overachiever in his career to compensate for his insecurities during childhood.
- compensate for the lack
- compensate for feelings
- compensate for the loss
People have learned ways to be able to compensate for trauma.
- People have learned ways to be able to compensate for trauma.
- And he's, you know, they compensate by talking super loud.
- I'm trying to not dwell on it and compensate where I can.
- I think if you're too loud, you're compensating for something.
- Give yourself five ways a character is compensating for their wound.
- We all have secret lives, and they're all about compensating for our wounds.
- I just call the Uber that it's I use my other intelligence to, you know, compensate for for that.
- And in him trying not to be the bad guy, he tries to compensate for that.
- I suppose we compensate for our lives, for our lacks, if we choose to.
- You have to think about whether people are compensating for it, OK?
- You know how how do you compensate stuff like that?
Examples
-
Students begin to appreciate one another's strengths and talents, and they learn to compensate for each other's weaknesses.
Academic text (1994) -
Your presenter's skill and enthusiasm can compensate for every other shortcoming that exists in your program.
Academic text (2000) -
I felt like I had to know everything to compensate for being such a poor kid.
Academic text (1995) -
People have learned ways to be able to compensate for trauma.
-
I suppose we compensate for our lives, for our lacks, if we choose to.
-
I think, you know, I compensated for how I learn with other people.
-
It's all just been to compensate for the fact that I don't know anything.
-
He tries to compensate for me.
-
The eating disorder is an attempt to compensate for this internal chaos by exerting strict control over food and weight.
Academic text (2015) -
In that sense, nature has a way of compensating for one's weaknesses by enhancing one's strengths.
Academic text (1999)
Antonyms
How Defensive
22
6.7
- Specialized
71
7.5
24
4.8
∞
3.5
367
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
compensate = compense + compensation (transparent) = com + pens + ate
The psychological sense ('make up for' shortcomings) is a metaphorical extension but remains directly connected to the core meaning found in the 'compensation' word family.
Etymology
Compensate comes from the Latin parts com- 'together' and pensare 'to weigh'. A helpful way to remember this personal meaning is to think of someone trying to make up for a weakness by showing strength in another area, which is what it means to compensate.