comparable

[kom-per-uh-buhl, kuhm-pair-]

adjective

1. capable of being compared; having features in common with something else to permit or suggest comparison.

   He considered the Roman and British empires to be comparable.

   Synonyms: similar, equivalent, equal, like

2. worthy of comparison.

   shops comparable to those on Fifth Avenue.

3. usable for comparison; similar.

   We have no comparable data on Russian farming.

comparable

/ ˈkɒmpərəbəl /

adjective

1. worthy of comparison

2. able to be compared (with)

Other Word Forms

• comparability noun
• comparableness noun
• comparably adverb
• intercomparable adjective
• uncomparable adjective
• uncomparableness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of comparable¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin comparābilis, equivalent to comparā(re) “to compare ” + -bilis -ble

Example Sentences

In fact, scientists revealed that the asteroid is only 11 metres across, comparable to a school bus — that may seem huge for us Earthlings, but in astronomical proportions that is tiny.

Read more on Space Scoop

Students interested in museums or cultural institutions rarely encounter comparable career on-ramps.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the Milky Way, only the central nucleus has star densities remotely comparable, and that region still contains only about one thousandth of the stars needed for the little-red-dot models.

Read more on Science Daily

According to ministry sources, scientific studies show that Greece is experiencing a period of persistent drought comparable only to a previous crisis in 1988-1994.

Read more on Barron's

Over the comparable period before tops, the S&P 500 rises only modestly.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• commensurate 
• equal 
• proportionate 
• tantamount