comparison
Americannoun
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comparisons
plural
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the act of comparing.
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the state of being compared.
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a likening; illustration by similitude; comparative estimate or statement.
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Rhetoric. the considering of two things with regard to some characteristic that is common to both, as the likening of a hero to a lion in courage.
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capability of being compared or likened.
- Synonyms:
- similarity, resemblance, likeness
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Grammar.
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the function of an adverb or adjective that is used to indicate degrees of superiority or inferiority in quality, quantity, or intensity.
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the patterns of formation involved therein.
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the degrees of a particular word, displayed in a fixed order, as mild, milder, mildest, less mild, least mild.
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noun
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the act or process of comparing
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the state of being compared
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comparable quality or qualities; likeness
there was no comparison between them
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a rhetorical device involving comparison, such as a simile
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Also called: degrees of comparison. grammar the listing of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverb
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to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of comparison
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English comparesoun, from Old French comparaison, from Latin comparātiōn-, stem of comparātiō, from comparāt(us) “placed together” (past participle of comparāre “to place together, match”; see compare) + -iō -ion
Explanation
When you make a comparison, you figure out how things are similar. Making comparisons is about taking a look at characteristics or qualities that show the similarities between living things, objects, or anything else. In the supermarket, people make comparisons based on price and ingredients. Lots of essays and articles make comparisons: between different politicians, bands, movies, athletes, and even whole era. Many teachers ask students to write comparisons in essays. If two things are totally different, you could say "There's no comparison!"
Vocabulary lists containing comparison
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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The ACT: The Language of the Test, List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
By comparison, around 25% of patients treated with the standard approach of surgery followed by chemotherapy are expected to relapse within three years.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
For comparison, the Sun is more than 1,000 times as massive as Jupiter.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
The slowdown would largely reflect a higher base of comparison a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
But, if anything, the comparison favors the REIT.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
That is, we didn’t feel any different, and since we had no contact with the other groups, we had no basis for comparison.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
Today, the artificial-intelligence boom has drawn comparisons to the Industrial Revolution in terms of the transformative potential of the technology.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Evidence provided by Adidas included side-by-side comparisons of its products with White Fox clothes which include sweatpants and lounge shorts, as well as images of billboards on buses and at bus stops.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
My objective is to use the existing comparisons to reexamine “Promising Young Woman,” try to understand Fennell’s intentions, and look at the bleak truths her movie stares straight in the face.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
Reconsider R-Patz: Robert Pattinson was derided for his performance in the Twilight movies, but in recent years, he has drawn comparisons to Brad Pitt.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
Evolutionary biologists have recently been developing ever more sophisticated methods for drawing conclusions from comparisons of different plants and animals of known evolutionary histories.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
