comparative

[ kuhm-par-uh-tiv ]

/ kəmˈpær ə tɪv /

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See synonyms for: comparative / comparatively 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.

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Origin of comparative

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparāt(us) (past participle of comparāre “to place together, match”; see compare, -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

Words nearby comparative

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use comparative in a sentence

Her teaching and scholarship have focused on comparative ethnic politics and conflict, democratization, and retrospective justice.
Nobles is MIT’s new chancellor|Peter Dizikes|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
One of the new study’s authors, he is a comparative physiologist.
Here’s how sea otters stay warm without blubber or a large body|Jaime Chambers|August 11, 2021|Science News For Students
To find out, comparative psychologist Jim McGetrick and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna trained pet dogs how to use a button to get food from a nearby dispenser.
Would dogs return the favor if you gave them treats? It’s complicated|Betsy Mason|July 14, 2021|Science News
That tiny froghoppers and other insects feed on xylem sap has stoked skepticism about these measurements, says Philip Matthews, a comparative physiologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Froghoppers are the super-suckers of the animal world|Jonathan Lambert|July 13, 2021|Science News

The new scholarship on comparative polarization is crucial in understanding this dynamic.
Why The Two-Party System Is Effing Up U.S. Democracy|Lee Drutman (drutman@newamerica.org)|June 16, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
This full-circle comparative literature process is well represented in modern war writing and recent Arabic fiction.
'Fives and Twenty-Fives' Is Fiction Honed in a Combat Zone|Brian Castner|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
It is impossible to form a just estimate of the Bible without some knowledge of ancient history and comparative mythology.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The doctor, informed of her comparative happiness, again shrugged his shoulders.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
To many causes may the comparative smallness of success that has attended these be attributed.
The Ordinance of Covenanting|John Cunningham
"Madame tells me that he is dead," said she, and Garnache was shocked at the comparative calmness with which she said it.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
At Sorbonne a chair of comparative legislation was created for him.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe

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

Origin of comparative

OTHER WORDS FROM comparative

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH comparative

Words nearby comparative

Words related to comparative

How to use comparative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for comparative

Derived forms of comparative

Cultural definitions for comparative