DEFINITIONS

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.

Content related to comparative

Stupider vs. More StupidIs stupider a word? It turns out stupider is an actual word. Stupider and more stupid are both comparative forms of the adjective stupid . They can be used interchangeably. In the English language, stupid is one of just a few adjectives that have two grammatically-correct options for their comparative form. (In case you were wondering, the superlative forms of stupid are stupidest and most stupid). When …
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Comparatives vs. SuperlativesThe positive form of an adjective or adverb is the basic form listed in a dictionary, e.g.” “red,” “awful” (adjectives); “soon,” “quickly” (adverbs). Adjectives and adverbs can show degrees of quality or amount with the endings -er and -est or with the words more and most or less and least. The comparative form is the greater or lesser degree of the quality named, e.g., “redder,” “more/less awful,” “sooner,” “more/less quickly.” The superlative form is the greatest or least degree of …
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Words related to comparative

provisional, like, equivalent, relative, correlative, approaching, parallel, contingent, analogous, comparable, conditional, connected, corresponding, matching, metaphorical, near, qualified, related, restricted, similar

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for comparative

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

Culture 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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.