comparison

American  

[kuhm-par-uh-suhn] / kəmˈpær ə sən /

noun

1. the act of comparing.

2. the state of being compared.

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

4. 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.

5. capability of being compared or likened.

   Synonyms:

   similarity, resemblance, likeness

6. Grammar.

   1. the function of an adverb or adjective that is used to indicate degrees of superiority or inferiority in quality, quantity, or intensity.

   2. the patterns of formation involved therein.

   3. the degrees of a particular word, displayed in a fixed order, as mild, milder, mildest, less mild, least mild.

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comparison British  

/ kəmˈpærɪsən /

noun

1. the act or process of comparing

2. the state of being compared

3. comparable quality or qualities; likeness

   there was no comparison between them

4. a rhetorical device involving comparison, such as a simile

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

6. to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably

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Other Word Forms

• intercomparison noun
• precomparison noun
• recomparison noun

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”; compare ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

For comparison, annual defense spending is only some £66 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

In comparison, when her parents have driven the vehicle manually, they received green scores.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

In comparison, the Dow has slipped 3.6% this year and gained 10.4% over the past 12 months.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

By comparison, around 5,000 Western tourists visited North Korea each year from 2009, with US citizens accounting for 20 percent of those, according to the 38 North programme at the Washington-based Stimson Center.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

So the world we live in is almost brand new—older in some places than others but, in comparison to the 2 million years of tool-making history, box-fresh.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• analogy
• connection
• contrast
• correlation
• example
• identification
• juxtaposition
• observation
• ratio
• relation
• resemblance
• similarity
• testing