noncompensatory
|non/com/pen/sa/to/ry|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.kəmˈpɛn.səˌtɔːr.i/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.kəmˈpɛn.sə.tri/
not allowing compensation
Etymology
'noncompensatory' originates from Modern English, specifically built from the negative prefix 'non-' and the adjective 'compensatory', where 'non-' meant 'not' and 'compensatory' meant 'serving to compensate or make up for'.
'compensatory' ultimately comes from Latin 'compensare' (from 'com-' meaning 'together' and 'pensare' meaning 'to weigh' or 'to pay/compensate'); it passed through Medieval Latin and Middle English as 'compensatory' and in technical and evaluative language in Modern English the prefixed form 'noncompensatory' was formed by adding 'non-' to express the negation.
Initially, 'compensatory' meant 'serving to make up for or balance', and over time the negated formation 'noncompensatory' came to be used in technical contexts to mean 'not permitting such compensation' (for example, decision rules where deficits on one attribute cannot be offset by strengths on others).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not compensatory; not serving to compensate or offset; incapable of being balanced by gains in other attributes.
The committee used a noncompensatory rule: a failing score on any critical test automatically disqualified a candidate, regardless of strengths elsewhere.
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Adjective 2
in decision theory or evaluation contexts: describing a rule or system where poor performance on one attribute cannot be offset by good performance on another attribute.
When selecting suppliers they applied a noncompensatory model: if safety standards were unmet, no amount of cost savings could make up for it.
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Last updated: 2025/10/30 11:38