comparison

noun

com·​par·​i·​son kəm-ˈper-ə-sən How to pronounce comparison (audio)
-ˈpa-rə-
1
: the act or process of comparing: such as
a
: the representing of one thing or person as similar to or like another
His poetry invites comparison with the poems of Robert Frost.
b
: an examination of two or more items to establish similarities and dissimilarities
His faults seem minor by comparison.
a comparison of the sports cars
2
: identity of features : similarity
several points of comparison between the two
3
: the modification of an adjective or adverb to denote different levels of quality, quantity, or relation

Examples of comparison in a Sentence

a comparison of the data from the two studies the comparison of monkeys to humans I don't think comparisons of her situation and mine are appropriate.
Recent Examples on the Web By comparison, New York lost a cumulative total of 126,000 residents in 2022. Laura Nahmias, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Tossing and turning in bed and randomly waking up at night is uncomfortable, but experiencing night sweats may take the cake in comparison. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 13 Mar. 2024 Tigers Blood, by comparison, came much more easily. Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024 Others chose to divert from any statuette comparisons. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 For comparison, the S&P 500 is up about 30% over the last year, while the Nasdaq is up about 40%. Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2024 By comparison, the price of a one-day medical pass is 389 pesos ($22) and for business people 649 pesos ($38). Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 By comparison, patients on the diabetes weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, both of which are injections, lose about 6% of their weight in 12 weeks. Bruce Gil, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 Perhaps the best part of the tour was listening to Scahill talk about the challenges of being a musician, of dealing with success, and fallouts; of dealing with critics, and comparisons. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'comparison.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French comparison, from Latin comparation-, comparatio, from comparare — see compare entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of comparison was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near comparison

Cite this Entry

“Comparison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comparison. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

comparison

noun
com·​par·​i·​son kəm-ˈpar-ə-sən How to pronounce comparison (audio)
1
: the act of comparing : the state of being compared
2
: change in the form of an adjective or an adverb (as by having -er or -est added or more or most prefixed) to show different levels of quality, quantity, or relation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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