comparison

American  

[kuhm-par-uh-suhn] / kəmˈpær ə sən /

noun

• comparisons
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• intercomparison
  noun
• precomparison
  noun
• recomparison
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• comparisons
  plural

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!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

comparison comparisons

By comparison, Spain has allocated less than $230 million over the past decade for its Campo de Gibraltar security plan, launched to dismantle criminal networks in the south of Spain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

In comparison, there were only 22 cases and two deaths all of last year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

If we had done the same calculation with the two bond indexes’ yields on July 13, the comparison would have been unfavorable for tax-exempt bonds.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Then there is the comparison to rival teams.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

It would be dangerous to rely on such a comparison.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Those comparisons showed that high energy particle collisions do not pose a black hole threat.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

This balancing of plot and mood, often in exotic locations, has led to obvious comparisons with Graham Greene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

The program did suffer from some comparisons to 2025.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

For now, England have a blossoming four-man pace quartet that has drawn comparisons with the famous Ashes winners of 2005.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

I'm exhausted by these comparisons to the girl I was before the war.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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