comprehensive
Americanadjective
-
of large scope; covering or involving much; inclusive.
a comprehensive study of world affairs.
-
comprehending or thoroughly understanding with one's mind; having an extensive mental range or grasp, as of a particular subject or many subjects.
-
Insurance. covering or providing broad protection against loss.
noun
-
Also called comprehensive examination. Informal, none comprehensives. none comps an examination of extensive coverage given to measure a student's general progress, proficiency in their major field of study, or the like.
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the detailed layout of an advertisement, showing placement of photographs, illustrations, copy, etc., as for presentation to a client.
adjective
-
of broad scope or content; including all or much
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(of a car insurance policy) providing protection against most risks, including third-party liability, fire, theft, and damage
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having the ability to understand
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of, relating to, or being a comprehensive school
noun
Other Word Forms
- comprehensively adverb
- comprehensiveness noun
- noncomprehensive adjective
- noncomprehensively adverb
- noncomprehensiveness noun
- precomprehensive adjective
- precomprehensively adverb
- precomprehensiveness noun
- quasi-comprehensive adjective
- quasi-comprehensively adverb
- uncomprehensive adjective
- uncomprehensively adverb
- uncomprehensiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of comprehensive
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin comprehēnsīvus; see comprehension, -ive
Explanation
When you want to describe something that includes all or most details, you can use the adjective comprehensive. If you get the comprehensive treatment at a spa, it might include a massage, a manicure and a facial. Comprehensive is from Latin comprehensivus, from comprehensus, the source of English comprehend. In business, comprehensive insurance is insurance that covers a broad range, offering protection against most risks of a certain type. It applies mainly to car insurance.
Vocabulary lists containing comprehensive
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Grade 9, List 1
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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.
“Clinicians and clinics receiving Title X funds should provide scientifically accurate, evidence-based, comprehensive care.”
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
More recent, though less comprehensive, data illustrate a spring homebuying season off to an uneven start as variations in demand and supply drive prices in different directions.
From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026
“I expect a comprehensive report in short order and am confident the outcome will assist in resolving, once and for all, the questions that led this office to issue subpoenas,” Pirro said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
It said there would also be a "comprehensive and forensic Board-led investigation of this incident".
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Their goal was ambitious: to write History of Woman Suffrage, a comprehensive chronicle of the women’s movement.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
