comparative
English
Etymology
From Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparativus, equivalent to comparatus, from comparare (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -ivus.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /kəmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/
- (Received Pronunciation, northeastern US, older southern US) IPA(key): /kəmˈpæɹ.ə.tɪv/
- Hyphenation: com‧par‧a‧tive
(Mary–marry–merry distinction)Audio (US) (file)
(Mary–marry–merry merger)Audio (US) (file)
Adjective
comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)
- Of or relating to comparison.
- (Can we add an example for this sense?)
- Granvill
- the comparative faculty
- Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.
- comparative anatomy
- Approximated by comparison; relative.
- 2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in The Guardian, London:
- 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.
- Whewell
- The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold.
- Bentley
- The bubble, by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that encloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top.
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- (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.
- 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.137:
Derived terms
Translations
of or relating to comparison
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using comparison as a method of study
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relative
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Noun
comparative (plural comparatives)
- (grammar) A construction showing a relative quality, in English usually formed by adding more or appending -er. For example, the comparative of green is greener; of evil, more evil.
- (grammar) A word in the comparative form.
- (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.
- 2010, Barry Smith, Introductory Financial Accounting and Reporting (page 171)
- (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.
- Beaumont and Fletcher
- Gerard ever was / His full comparative.
- Beaumont and Fletcher
- (obsolete) One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
- William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Pt. 1 (1597), III.ii.67:
- Every beardless vain comparative.
- William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Pt. 1 (1597), III.ii.67:
Synonyms
- (grammar: degree): comparative degree
Translations
grammatical construction
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word in comparative form
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Related terms
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.
French
Latin
References
- comparative in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
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