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English
Etymology
Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. English comparative From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.
Pronunciation
Adjective
comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)
- Of or relating to comparison.
He gave us a comparative example to illustrate how the human mind works.
1773, James Burnett, Of the Origin and Progress of Language:that kind of animals that have the comparative faculty, by which they compare things together, deliberate and resolve.
- Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.
A comparative study between Homo Sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis. comparative anatomy
1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The riding of B.R. coaches”, in Trains Illustrated, pages 705–706:After all, it is undeniable that the B.R. standard coach scored highly in comparative trials with other European railway vehicles on the Continent a few years ago, so that B.R. civil engineers must share responsibility for any defects in its behaviour over here.
- Approximated by comparison; relative.
I've passed the test with comparative ease.
2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 October 2026:The Olympics, the weather and a comparative lack of heavyweight clashes so far this season have been cited as reasons for the drop in viewers.
1837, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences:The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold.
1692, Richard Bentley, A Confutation of Atheism:This bubble, […] by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that encloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top.
- (obsolete) Comparable; bearing comparison.
1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.137:And need he had of slumber yet, for none / Had suffered more—his hardships were comparative / To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative.
Derived terms
Translations
of or relating to comparison using comparison as a method of study Translations to be checked Noun
comparative (plural comparatives)
- (grammar) The degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb used when comparing two entities in terms of a certain property or a certain way of doing something. In English, the comparative of superiority is formed by adding the suffix -er or the word more (e.g. bigger, more fully); the comparative of equality, by adding the word as (e.g. as big, as fully); the comparative of inferiority, by adding the word less (e.g. less big, less fully).
- Synonym: comparative degree
- Hypernym: degree of comparison
- Hyponyms: comparative of superiority, comparative of equality, comparative of inferiority
- Coordinate terms: positive, superlative
- (grammar) An adjective or adverb in the comparative degree.
- (chiefly in the plural) Data used to make a comparison.
2010, Barry Smith, Introductory Financial Accounting and Reporting, page 171:Investment ratios are positive. Comparative or trend data are required to draw final conclusions. The absence of comparatives and trend data constrains the conclusions.
- (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.
c. 1608–1613, Nathan Field, John Fletcher, “Four Playes, or Morall Representations, in One”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act ,:Gerrard ever was / His full comparative.
- (obsolete) One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], line 67:Every beardless vain comparative.
Derived terms
Translations
degree of comparison
- Albanian: shkalla krahasore f
- Arabic: دَرَجَة نِسْبِيَّة f (daraja(t) nisbiyya)
- Belarusian: вышэ́йшая ступе́нь f (vyšéjšaja stupjénʹ), параўна́льная ступе́нь f (parawnálʹnaja stupjénʹ)
- Breton: derez-uheloc'h (br) m
- Bulgarian: сравни́телна сте́пен f (sravnítelna stépen)
- Catalan: comparatiu m
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 比較級 / 比较级 (zh) (bǐjiàojí)
- Czech: druhý stupeň m, komparativ (cs) m
- Dutch: vergrotende trap (nl), vergelijkende trap (nl)
- Estonian: keskvõrre, komparatiiv (et)
- Faroese: miðstig n
- Finnish: komparatiivi (fi)
- French: comparatif (fr) m
- German: Höherstufe (de) f, Mehrstufe (de) f, Komparativ (de) m
- Greek: συγκριτικός (el) m (sygkritikós)
- Ancient Greek: συγκριτικόν n (sunkritikón)
- Hungarian: középfok (hu)
- Icelandic: miðstig (is) n
- Indonesian: pelebihan
- Ingrian: rinnoitussteeppeni, komparativa
- Irish: breischéim f
- Italian: comparativo (it) m
- Japanese: 比較級 (ja) (ひかくきゅう, hikakukyū)
- Korean: 비교급(比較級) (ko) (bigyogeup)
- Latin: gradus comparativus, comparativus, collatio secunda
- Lithuanian: aukštesnysis laipsnis (lt) m
- Norman: compathatif m
- Old English: wiþmetendlīċ
- Persian: صفت برتر (fa) (sefat-e bartar)
- Polish: stopień wyższy (pl) m inan
- Portuguese: grau comparativo m, comparativo (pt) m
- Russian: сравни́тельная сте́пень (ru) f (sravnítelʹnaja stépenʹ), компарати́в (ru) m (komparatív)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ко̏мпаратӣв m
- Latin: kȍmparatīv (sh) m
- Slovak: komparatív, druhý stupeň
- Slovene: primérnik m
- Spanish: comparativo (es) m
- Swedish: komparativ (sv) c
- Tagalog: pahambing
- Ukrainian: ви́щий сту́пінь m (výščyj stúpinʹ)
- Vietnamese: cấp so sánh
- Welsh: gradd gymharol f
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adjective or adverb in the comparative degree See also
References
- “comparative”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “comparative”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- "comparative" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
Anagrams
French
Pronunciation
Adjective
comparative
- feminine singular of comparatif
Italian
Adjective
comparative
- feminine plural of comparativo
Anagrams
Latin
Adjective
comparātīve
- vocative masculine singular of comparātīvus
References
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