general damages
1
8.0
- noun
- Formal
:
daños generales
- After a long trial, the court decided to grant general damages to the victim for the ongoing impact of her injuries.
Examples
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In his lawsuit, he requested general damages to compensate for his pain and suffering after the accident.
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They award special damages in the amount of $1 million and general damages in the amount of $110 million.
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Accusing a person of incompetence in her career obviates the need to show malice to obtain general damages.
Blog text (9) -
Celeste Wood claims that Vicksburg Firearms is liable for her husband's wrongful death and seeks special damages for loss of Mr. Wood's future earnings, as well as general damages, including pain and suffering.
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The jury awarded her general damages for the emotional distress caused by the incident.
Synonyms
214
3.6
Money given to pay someone for work and to make up for loss or injury
5
6.3
Money paid to someone for a real loss or injury caused by another
1
3.9
An amount of money paid to someone for loss or injury
How Quantifiable
- Specialized
5
6.3
- Formal
1
8.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'general' (broad, non-specific) with 'damages' (financial compensation), so a learner can infer it names a non-itemized type of compensation. However, the specific legal nuance—that it refers to non‑quantifiable losses like pain and suffering and how it contrasts with "special damages"—is technical and unlikely to be fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
General damages comes from two words: general ('not specific') and damages ('money for harm'). Imagine two piles after an accident — one with exact bills you can add up, and one that is a general payment for pain, suffering or loss you cannot easily count in money. So general damages means the money a court gives for harm that is hard to put a price on.