comparative

[ kuh m-par-uh-tiv ]

/ kəmˈpær ə tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR comparative ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to comparison.

proceeding by, founded on, or using comparison as a method of study: comparative anatomy.

estimated by comparison; not positive or absolute; relative: a comparative newcomer in politics; to live in comparative luxury.

Grammar. being, noting, or pertaining to the intermediate degree of the comparison of adjectives, as better and more beautiful, the comparative forms of good and beautiful, and of adverbs, as nearer and more carefully, the comparative forms of near and carefully.Compare positive(def 21), superlative(def 2).

noun Grammar.

the comparative degree.

a form in the comparative.

Words nearby comparative

company woman, compar., comparable, comparable worth, comparatist, comparative, comparative advertising, comparative anatomy, comparative government, comparative judgment, comparative linguistics

Origin of comparative

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparāt(us) (past participle of comparāre to compare; see -ate¹) + -īvus -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM comparative

com·par·a·tive·ly, adverbcom·par·a·tive·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH comparative

comparable comparative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for comparative

A third way to counter the negative stereotypes is to provide a bit of comparative historical context.
Why the US-Africa Summit Was Important and Why It Wasn't Enough|John Prendergast|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a comparative study, it highlights the distinctively brutal features of American slavery.
Daniel Goldhagen’s Book Bag: Five on Prejudice|Daniel Jonah Goldhagen|September 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Under the old system, only a comparative handful of members had any power.
Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn't Actually Work|Megan McArdle|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a comparative anatomist, MacLean viewed animal behaviors as evolutionary adaptations of the brain.
Why Do We Cry?|Michael Trimble|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But we can move earlier to comparative effectiveness review—this is public money, after all, and it should be spent rationally.
Cut Medicare More, Food Stamps Less|David Frum|March 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
That they should leave her to drown, while they themselves fled to comparative safety in a boat, was more than he could believe.
The Stolen Singer|Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger
He longed to let Armand know that the woman he loved was in comparative safety.
El Dorado|Baroness Orczy
Long ago in comparative youth she had disappeared for a half-dozen years.
An Isle in the Water|Katharine Tynan
In the face of Jack's misfortune and all that he was giving up, her part of the sacrifice sank into comparative insignificance.
The Little Colonel's Chum: Mary Ware|Annie Fellows Johnston
Many of the cottages are new, others are whitewashed into comparative cheerfulness.
Our Journey to the Hebrides|Joseph Pennell and Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for comparative

comparative

/ (kəmˈpærətɪv) /

adjective

denoting or involving comparisoncomparative literature

judged by comparison; relativea comparative loss of prestige

grammar denoting the form of an adjective that indicates that the quality denoted is possessed to a greater extent. In English the comparative form of an adjective is usually marked by the suffix -er or the word moreCompare positive (def. 10), superlative (def. 2)

noun

the comparative form of an adjective

Derived forms of comparative

comparatively, adverbcomparativeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for comparative

comparative

A form of an adjective indicating a greater degree of the quality that the adjective describes. Better is the comparative form of good; faster is the comparative form of fast; bluer is the comparative form of blue; more charming is the comparative form of charming. (Compare superlative.)

comparative

adjective

noun Grammar.

Words related to comparative

Words nearby comparative

Origin of comparative

OTHER WORDS FROM comparative

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH comparative

Examples from the Web for comparative

British Dictionary definitions for comparative

adjective

noun

Derived forms of comparative

Cultural definitions for comparative