comparator

American  

[kuhm-par-uh-ter, kom-puh-rey-] / kəmˈpær ə tər, ˈkɒm pəˌreɪ- /

noun

1. any of various instruments for making comparisons, as of lengths or distances, tints of colors, etc.

2. Electronics. a circuit for comparing two signals, as readings of duplicate information stored in a digital computer, and for giving an indication of agreement or disagreement between them.

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comparator British  

/ kəmˈpærətə /

noun

1. any instrument used to measure a property of a system by comparing it with a standard system

2. an electric circuit that compares two signals and gives an indication of the extent of their dissimilarity

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Etymology

Origin of comparator

First recorded in 1880–85; from Late Latin comparātor “a comparer”; see compare, -tor

Example Sentences

Moderna said it used a standard-dose flu shot as the comparator in its trial because it included people under 65 and people from other countries where a high-dose vaccine isn’t recommended.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

They also found more deaths among girls who received RTS,S than girls who received a comparator vaccine, against rabies.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 23, 2023

Fifty years on from that policy decision, Sweden has clean, secure and affordable energy and is emitting less greenhouse gas than any comparator nation.

From Salon • Jul. 16, 2023

"With Wieze fully operational since end of October and against a strong comparator, we had, as expected, a slow start to the year," said Chief Executive Peter Boone in a statement.

From Reuters • Jan. 18, 2023

To make this measurement, two micrometer microscopes which project horizontally through the comparator are alternately focused on the knife edges and on the standard scale.

From Development of Gravity Pendulums in the 19th Century Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Papers 34-44 On Science and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, 1966 by Lenzen, Victor Fritz