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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

comparative.

Of or relating to comparison.

11 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/kəmˈpæɹətɪv/Received-Pronunciation/kəmˈpæɹətɪv//kəmˈpɛɹətɪv/
  1. Of or relating to comparison.

    He gave us a comparative example to illustrate how the human mind works.
  2. Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.

    A comparative study between Homo Sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis.
    comparative anatomy
  3. Approximated by comparison; relative.

    I've passed the test with comparative ease.
  4. Comparable; bearing comparison.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin pār Latin compār Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin comparō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin comparātīvusbor. Old French comparatifbor. Middle English comparatif English comparative From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.

noun/kəmˈpæɹətɪv/Received-Pronunciation/kəmˈpæɹətɪv//kəmˈpɛɹətɪv/
  1. 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).

  2. An adjective or adverb in the comparative degree.

  3. Data used to make a comparison.

    in-plural
  4. An equal; a rival; a compeer.

    obsolete
  5. One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.

    obsolete
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Latin pār Latin compār Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin comparō Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin īvus Latin comparātīvusbor. Old French comparatifbor. Middle English comparatif English comparative From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.