comprehensive
Americanadjective
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of large scope; covering or involving much; inclusive.
a comprehensive study of world affairs.
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comprehending or thoroughly understanding with one's mind; having an extensive mental range or grasp, as of a particular subject or many subjects.
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Insurance. covering or providing broad protection against loss.
noun
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Also called comprehensive examination. Informal, none comprehensives. none comps an examination of extensive coverage given to measure a student's general progress, proficiency in their major field of study, or the like.
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the detailed layout of an advertisement, showing placement of photographs, illustrations, copy, etc., as for presentation to a client.
adjective
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of broad scope or content; including all or much
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(of a car insurance policy) providing protection against most risks, including third-party liability, fire, theft, and damage
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having the ability to understand
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of, relating to, or being a comprehensive school
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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comprehensivenessnoun
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noncomprehensivenessnoun
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precomprehensivenessnoun
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uncomprehensivenessnoun
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noncomprehensiveadjective
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precomprehensiveadjective
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quasi-comprehensiveadjective
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uncomprehensiveadjective
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comprehensivelyadverb
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noncomprehensivelyadverb
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precomprehensivelyadverb
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quasi-comprehensivelyadverb
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uncomprehensivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of comprehensive
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin comprehēnsīvus; see comprehension, -ive
Explanation
When you want to describe something that includes all or most details, you can use the adjective comprehensive. If you get the comprehensive treatment at a spa, it might include a massage, a manicure and a facial. Comprehensive is from Latin comprehensivus, from comprehensus, the source of English comprehend. In business, comprehensive insurance is insurance that covers a broad range, offering protection against most risks of a certain type. It applies mainly to car insurance.
Vocabulary lists containing comprehensive
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 9, List 1
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Jane Eyre
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For all of the vicious debates over sex ed in the ’90 and 2000s, those pushing abstinence and those promoting comprehensive health education could largely agree on one thing: We wanted teen pregnancies to decrease.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The federal government also does not keep a comprehensive accounting.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Huawei said Wednesday that its AI system "Celia" had shown "comprehensive problem-solving capabilities" across several mathematical fields.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
It will be a battle of two former world champions in round two as Price faces Rob Cross after the Englishman's comprehensive 10-3 win over 10th seed Danny Noppert of the Netherlands.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
My narrative, while willfully episodic in character—no comprehensive coverage of all events is claimed—follows a chronological line, with one significant exception.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Look, CSU and all regional comprehensives in this country have a budget problem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
From BASIS’s first year in 1996-1997, students who failed the comprehensives had to retake them.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 28, 2019
Among those in the UK in the Sunday Times Rich List, there were 34% from independent schools compared with 12% from comprehensives.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2019
Then, in the mid-1960s, the Labour government sped up their conversion into comprehensives.
From Economist ● Aug. 11, 2016
Professor David Woods, the chief adviser for London schools, said the "chattering classes" were wrong about the capital's comprehensives.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 27, 2011
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
