Wiktionary

comparable

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English comparable, from Middle French comparable, from Latin comparābilis. By surface analysis, compare +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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comparable (comparative more comparable, superlative most comparable)

  1. (often with to) Able to be compared (to).
    An elephant is comparable in size to a double-decker bus.
    You can't say that robbing a bank is like pickpocketing. The two are just not comparable.
    • 1951 April, Stirling Everard, “A Matter of Pedigree”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 273:
      The firebox married to Britannia's boiler is not, however, in the Doncaster tradition, notwithstanding that it is comparable in dimensions to that of the "V2."
    • 2022 January 12, Sir Michael Holden, “Reform of the workforce or death by a thousand cuts?”, in RAIL, number 948, page 22:
      As yet, we don't know what the comparable figures will be like for the current financial year which ends in March 2022, but we can have a good stab at approximating them.
  2. (often with to) Similar (to); like.
  3. (mathematics) Constituting a pair in a particular partial order.
    Six and forty-two are comparable in the divides order, but six and nine are not.
  5. (grammar) Said of an adjective that has comparative and superlative forms.
    Synonym: gradable
    "Big" is a comparable adjective, since it can take the forms "bigger" and "biggest"; but "unique" is not comparable, except in disputed, but common, usage.

Usage notes

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The pronunciation /ˈkɒmp(ə)ɹəbl̩/ is almost never used for sense 4.

Derived terms

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Translations

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similar — see similar
gradable — see gradable

Noun

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comparable (plural comparables)

  1. Something suitable for comparison.
    • 2009 January 2, Fred A. Bernstein, “Catskill Home Prices: How Low Will They Go?”, in New York Times‎[1]:
      And the appraiser said he couldn't come up with comparables, because there hadn't been any sales nearby in several months.

Further reading

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Asturian

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Etymology

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From Latin comparābilis.

Adjective

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comparable (epicene, plural comparables)

  1. comparable
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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin comparābilis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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comparable m or f (masculine and feminine plural comparables)

  1. comparable
    Antonym: incomparable

Derived terms

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Further reading

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French

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Etymology

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From Latin comparābilis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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comparable (plural comparables)

  1. comparable (suitable to be compared)
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Further reading

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Galician

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin comparābilis.

Adjective

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comparable m or f (plural comparables)

  1. comparable
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Further reading

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Middle French comparable, from Latin comparābilis; equivalent to comparen +‎ -able.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌkɔmpaˈraːbəl/, /ˌkɔmpaˈraːblə/, /ˈkɔmpərabəl/

Adjective

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comparable (Late Middle English)

  1. Of identical or similar value; comparing favourably.
  2. Comparable, commensurable; suitable for comparison.

Descendants

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  • English: comparable

References

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Spanish

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Etymology

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From Latin comparābilis.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kompaˈɾable/ [kõm.paˈɾa.β̞le]
  • Rhymes: -able
  • Syllabification: com‧pa‧ra‧ble

Adjective

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comparable m or f (masculine and feminine plural comparables)

  1. comparable
    Synonym: equiparable
    Antonym: incomparable

Derived terms

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Further reading

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