as in relative
being such only when compared to something else
if you consider the multimillionaire's yearly income, we're living in comparative poverty
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Recent Examples of comparative
Gillian Forrester, who studies comparative cognition at the University of Sussex in England and was not involved in either study, says social attention is key to maintaining a good reputation.
—
Clarissa Brincat, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2025
Here's a comparative look at 10 of the top expenses for the two schools.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
In August 2000, Professor John Locke was killed by graduate student James Easton Kelly, who was dejected by his dismissal from the university’s comparative literature doctorate program.
—Ryan Anderson, Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Some more receptive to this, some more receptive to that, but perhaps in incommensurate ways, meaning there can be no one yardstick to measure their comparative richness.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Clarissa Brincat, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2025
Here's a comparative look at 10 of the top expenses for the two schools.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
In August 2000, Professor John Locke was killed by graduate student James Easton Kelly, who was dejected by his dismissal from the university’s comparative literature doctorate program.
—Ryan Anderson, Arkansas Online, 25 Aug. 2025
Some more receptive to this, some more receptive to that, but perhaps in incommensurate ways, meaning there can be no one yardstick to measure their comparative richness.
—Thomas Moynihan, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comparative
relative
Adjective
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Was one of Forest’s virtues last season their relative simplicity, which will now be disrupted?—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Early-career workers ages 22 to 25 in jobs most exposed to AI automation, such as software development and customer service, have seen steep relative declines in employment, according to findings in a paper from Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comparative. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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