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Glite Dictionary
compensation culture

compensation culture

7.6
A social habit of suing to get money for small injuries or complaints
  • noun
  • /ˌkɒmpənˈseɪʃən ˈkʌltʃər/
  • Literature
translation icon : cultura de la compensación
  • Many people believe that the rise of compensation culture has led to an increase in frivolous lawsuits.

Examples

  • Critics argue that the compensation culture fosters a sense of entitlement among individuals who feel wronged.

  • The compensation culture in our society encourages individuals to seek financial reparations for every minor inconvenience.

  • Much as the compensation culture has grown, a similar one has arisen that "bad things" are always someone else's fault and they have to pay.

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Antonyms

acceptance
101 2.9

Willingness to be friendly to people and ideas that are different

How Litigious

compensation culture
  • Literature
7.6

Surface Forms

compensation culture singular
compensation cultures plural

Morphology

compensation + culture

The meaning 'a societal tendency to seek monetary compensation' is directly compositional from 'compensation' (money paid for injury) + 'culture' (shared practices of a society). The noun-noun composition 'X culture' (a culture of X) is a common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun compensation culture comes from news stories about places where asking for compensation, meaning money, had become a normal part of life. Imagine a town where every small accident leads someone to ask for money; that picture explains why the phrase means a society that often 'asks for money for any wrong'.