comparative

adjective

com·par·a·tive | \ kəm-ˈper-ə-tiv

, -ˈpa-rə-\

Definition of comparative

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or constituting the degree of comparison in a language that denotes increase in the quality, quantity, or relation expressed by an adjective or adverb The comparative form of happy is happier. The comparative form of clearly is more clearly.

2 : considered as if in comparison to something else as a standard not quite attained : relative a comparative stranger She's a comparative newcomer to the company.

3 : characterized by systematic comparison especially of likenesses and dissimilarities comparative anatomy a comparative analysis of the roles of women in different cultures

comparative

noun

Definition of comparative (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : one that compares with another especially on equal footing : rival

b : one that makes witty or mocking comparisons

2 : the comparative degree or form in a language The comparative of tall is taller.

Other Words from comparative Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about comparative

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Synonyms & Antonyms for comparative

Synonyms: Adjective

almost, approximate, near, relative

Antonyms: Adjective

absolute, complete, downright, out-and-out, outright, perfect, pure, unqualified

Examples of comparative in a Sentence

Adjective

She did a comparative study of classical and modern art. I'm taking a class in comparative anatomy. a comparative analysis of the roles of women in different cultures The comparative form of “happy” is “happier”; the comparative form of “good” is “better”; the comparative form of “clearly” is “more clearly.”

Noun

“Taller” is the comparative of “tall.”

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

California colleges would thus gain a comparative recruiting advantage over colleges in other states. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Does the NCAA's Threat to California Schools' Championship Access Hold Up?," 25 June 2019 Ever since David Ricardo came up with the theory of comparative advantage in 1817, economists have promoted trade. — Allison Schrager, Quartz, "Economists don’t agree on much, but what they do agree on is being ignored," 25 June 2019 Companies had to change their accounting and reporting practices and train staff to process adjustments for inflation in addition to restating comparative figures in financial reports to reflect the loss of purchasing power of the Argentine peso. — Maria Armental, WSJ, "Argentine Banks Stumble in Adoption of New Accounting Standard," 24 June 2019 While teaching comparative literature and French in the early 1950s at Bard College in the Hudson Valley, Mr. Botsford attended a cocktail party that changed the course of his life. — Bill Morris, BostonGlobe.com, "Keith Botsford, man of letters and Saul Bellow associate, dies at 90," 18 June 2019 Sky Sports call improving their centre back options a 'top priority' for Man Utd this summer and highlight Diop's (comparative) cheapness compared to Koulibaly and Maguire, who could cost close to £100m. — SI.com, "Issa Diop Joins Long List of Man Utd Defensive Targets With £45m-Plus-Player Offer," 15 June 2019 While teaching comparative literature and French in the early 1950s at Bard College in the Hudson Valley, Mr. Botsford attended a cocktail party that changed the course of his life. — Bill Morris, New York Times, "Keith Botsford, Man of Letters and Saul Bellow Associate, Dies at 90," 14 June 2019 In the context of all that has recently happened, this latest scandal might seem easy to ignore in comparative magnitude. — Erik Sherman, Fortune, "Remember Options Backdating? Nissan Gets Caught Using a Very Old CEO Pay Trick," 11 June 2019 Journal of Development Economics For comparative purposes, the paper looked at 533 projects worth $43.4 billion undertaken by the World Bank. — Abdi Latif Dahir, Quartz Africa, "China’s aid to African leaders’ home regions nearly tripled after they assumed power," 10 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Why this matters: Reports from an independent testing organization like AV-Comparatives are important for the average PC user. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "AV-Comparatives' anti-phishing results for 2017 put Avast, Bitdefender, Fortinet, and Kaspersky on top," 1 Aug. 2017 Other poll comparatives from March fell like dominoes. — David Paleologos, USA TODAY, "Paleologos on the poll: Replacing Obamacare is a sensitive 'Operation'," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comparative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near comparative

comparative advantage

comparative advertising

comparative government

Statistics for comparative

Last Updated

7 Jul 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for comparative

The first known use of comparative was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for comparative

comparative

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of comparative

(Entry 1 of 2)

: seeming to be something when compared with others

: involving the act of looking at the ways that things are alike or different

grammar : of or relating to the form of an adjective or adverb that is used to indicate more of a particular quality

comparative

noun

English Language Learners Definition of comparative (Entry 2 of 2)

: the comparative form of an adjective or adverb : the form of an adjective or adverb that is used to indicate more of a particular quality

See the full definition for comparative in the English Language Learners Dictionary

comparative

adjective

com·par·a·tive | \ kəm-ˈper-ə-tiv

Kids Definition of comparative

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : not entirely but more so than others : relative We live in comparative freedom.

2 : of or relating to the form of an adjective or adverb that shows an increase in the quality that the adjective or adverb expresses “Taller” is the comparative form of “tall.”

comparative

noun

Kids Definition of comparative (Entry 2 of 2)

: the degree or form in a language that indicates an increase in the quality expressed by an adjective or adverb “Taller” is the comparative of “tall.”

comparative

adjective

com·par·a·tive | \ kəm-ˈpar-ət-iv

Medical Definition of comparative

: characterized by the systematic comparison of phenomena and especially of likenesses and dissimilarities comparative anatomy the study of blood types by comparative analysis