comprehensive

adjective

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

-prē-

1

: covering completely or broadly : inclusive

comprehensive examinations

comprehensive insurance

This is where that comprehensive review of your finances can come in handy.

—Kevin L. Matthews II

The 2015 study was one of the first comprehensive research efforts to tally up how much plastic ends up in the ocean.

—Delger Erdenesanaa

2

: having or exhibiting wide mental grasp

comprehensive knowledge of a subject

comprehensively adverb

comprehensiveness noun

Synonyms of comprehensive

• thorough
• panoramic
• extensive
• full
• complete
• inclusive
• exhaustive
• global
• 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

Interceptor drones as part of a comprehensive air defense system are now being sought by Middle East and Gulf countries amid the Iran war, according to Ukrainian officials. —ABC News, 28 Apr. 2026

With overwhelming bipartisan support, Indiana enacted one of the most comprehensive state-level national security laws in the country. —Joe Gebbia Sr, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026

Say that a presidential candidate wants to create universal prekindergarten, implement a comprehensive parental-leave policy, lower the Medicare-eligibility age, and invest in clean energy and cancer research. —Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026

Instead, it has been fully integrated into the practice’s comprehensive refractive program, allowing surgeons to match each patient with the procedure best suited to their anatomy and visual goals. —Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026

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