comparison

[ kuhm-par-uh-suhn ]

/ kəmˈpær ə sən /

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See synonyms for: comparison / comparisons on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of comparing.

the state of being compared.

a likening; illustration by similitude; comparative estimate or statement.

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.

capability of being compared or likened.

Grammar.

the function of an adverb or adjective that is used to indicate degrees of superiority or inferiority in quality, quantity, or intensity.
the patterns of formation involved therein.
the degrees of a particular word, displayed in a fixed order, as mild, milder, mildest, less mild, least mild.

OTHER WORDS FOR comparison

5 likeness, resemblance, similarity.

See synonyms for comparison on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of comparison

1300–50; Middle English comparesoun<Old French comparaison<Latin comparātiōn- (stem of comparātiō). See compare, -ation

OTHER WORDS FROM comparison

in·ter·com·par·i·son, nounpre·com·par·i·son, nounre·com·par·i·son, noun

Words nearby comparison

comparative statement, comparator, compare, compare and contrast, compare notes, comparison, comparison microscope, comparison-shop, comparison shopper, comparison test, comparsa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use comparison in a sentence

By comparison, the Biden campaign is projected to spent about $28 million this week, up from $27 million last week.
Trump and his campaign try to allay concerns about trailing Biden in television ads|Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
For comparison, the average American causes around 16 metric tons of emissions per year.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money.|Sigal Samuel|September 17, 2020|Vox
At Scripps Ranch High School, by comparison, students passed 1,058 AP tests.
When a Calculus Class Abruptly Became Ceramics at Lincoln High|Scott Lewis|September 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego
For comparison, Whitney examined four other tusks, from Africa’s Karoo Basin, which would not have lost sunlight during winter.
Ancient Lystrosaurus tusks may show the oldest signs of a hibernation-like state|Susan Milius|September 16, 2020|Science News

Yet even that period paled in comparison against the 1950s and 1960s.
Trump’s ABC News town hall: Four Pinocchios, over and over again|Glenn Kessler|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
The best comparison here for an American audience is, well, Internet stuff.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I enjoyed it, but thought it paled in comparison to their debut.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For comparison, inmates at high-security federal prisons cost about $34,000 per year on average, as of 2012.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec 21|PunditFact.com|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was quite specifically talking about the comparison between playing Heimdall on one day, and playing Mandela on the next.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle|Marlow Stern|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in recent days, I've found Sarah Palin an even more apt comparison.
The IRS Email Double Standard|Matt Lewis|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Can there be any comparison between the educational efficiency of the two methods?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
For comparison, the gas may be passed through a test-tube containing an equal amount of distilled water.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
In comparison with the engines now in use, these Americans were very small ones.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
This pipe has been proved by comparison to be probably quite late in the reign of Elizabeth.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Let the student continue this comparison till he attains very nearly the brevity and discrimination displayed by Mr. Killick.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for comparison

comparison

/ (kəmˈpærɪsən) /

noun

the act or process of comparing

the state of being compared

comparable quality or qualities; likenessthere was no comparison between them

a rhetorical device involving comparison, such as a simile

Also called: degrees of comparison grammar the listing of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverb

bear comparison or stand comparison to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably

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

comparison

OTHER WORDS FOR comparison

Origin of comparison

OTHER WORDS FROM comparison

Words nearby comparison

Words related to comparison

How to use comparison in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for comparison