comprehensive

adjective

com·​pre·​hen·​sive ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-siv 

-prē-

1

: covering completely or broadly : inclusive

comprehensive examinations

comprehensive insurance

2

: having or exhibiting wide mental grasp

comprehensive knowledge

comprehensively adverb

comprehensiveness noun

Synonyms

• thorough
• panoramic
• extensive
• full
• complete
• inclusive
• global
• exhaustive
• encyclopedic
• all-inclusive

Examples of comprehensive in a Sentence

Natalie's every move was photographed, a documentation of a happy childhood as comprehensive as it was false. —John Gregory Dunne, New York Review of Books, 15 Jan. 2004

Inevitably, though, in so comprehensive an account, some important events and themes are cursorily checked off … —Isabel Fonseca, Times Literary Supplement, 29 Jan. 1993

Walcott proceeded to misinterpret these fossils in a comprehensive and thoroughly consistent manner … —Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989

a comprehensive overview of European history since the French Revolution

a comprehensive listing of all the paintings generally attributed to the Dutch artist Rembrandt

Recent Examples on the Web

The government on Friday releases more comprehensive figures on consumer spending in August, which includes purchases of services, as part of its monthly Personal Consumption Expenditures report. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

Employees at stores slated for closure will be informed this week, Niccol said, and the company will try to transfer staff to nearby locations where possible, and will otherwise provide comprehensive severance packages. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Available on Tuesday, the book was conceived as both a visual and narrative archive and features previously unpublished and rare images, alongside a comprehensive overview of all exhibitions, retrospectives and installations presented over the years. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025

But that’s actually just the tip of the iceberg of what’s new in The Ivalice Chronicles, as there are some pretty comprehensive tweaks to combat, menus, jobs, and more. —Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see comprehension

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing comprehensive

• comprehensive school

Rhymes for comprehensive

• apprehensive
• coextensive
• hypertensive
• hypotensive
• inexpensive
• inoffensive
• normotensive
• antihypertensive
• counteroffensive
• defensive
• expensive
• extensive

Kids Definition

comprehensive

adjective

com·​pre·​hen·​sive ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen(t)-siv 

: including much or all : full

a comprehensive course of study

a comprehensive list

comprehensiveness noun

Legal Definition

comprehensive

adjective

com·​pre·​hen·​sive ˌkäm-pri-ˈhen-siv 

: covering completely or broadly

a comprehensive insurance policy