comparative

English

Etymology

From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpæɹ.ə.tɪv/
• (General American) enPR: kəmʹpăr-ə-tĭv
  • (Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpæɹ.ə.tɪv/
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpɛɹ.ə.tɪv/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  (Mary–marry–merry distinction)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  (Mary–marry–merry merger)
• Hyphenation: com‧par‧a‧tive

Adjective

comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)

1. Of or relating to comparison.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

   • 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

2. Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.

   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.

3. Approximated by comparison; relative.
   • 2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in The Guardian‎^[1], 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.

   • 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.

4. (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

• comparatively
• comparativeness
• comparativism
• comparativist
• comparativistic

 

Multiword terms

• comparative advantage
• comparative anatomy
• comparative case
• comparative degree
• comparative ethics
• comparative illusion
• comparative linguist
• comparative linguistics
• comparative literature
• comparative method
• comparative superlative

 

Translations

of or relating to comparison

• Armenian: համեմատական (hy) (hamematakan)
• Azerbaijani: müqayisəli
• Belarusian: параўна́льны (paraŭnálʹny)
• Bulgarian: сравни́телен (bg) (sravnítelen)
• Catalan: comparatiu
• Czech: srovnávací
• Danish: komparativ (da), sammenlignende
• Dutch: vergelijkend (nl)
• Finnish: verrannollinen (fi), vertaileva (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: vergleichend (de)
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós)

  Ancient: συγκριτικός (sunkritikós)

• Indonesian: komparatif (id), perbandingan (id)
• Irish: comparáideach
• Italian: comparativo (it) m
• Macedonian: споредбен (sporedben)
• Norman: compathatif (Jersey)
• Norwegian: komparativ (no)
• Persian: تفضیلی‎ (fa), تطبیقی‎ (fa)
• Polish: porównawczy (pl)
• Portuguese: comparativo (pt)
• Romanian: comparativ (ro)
• Russian: сравни́тельный (ru) (sravnítelʹnyj)
• Slovak: porovnávací
• Slovene: primerjalen
• Spanish: comparativo (es)
• Tagalog: hambingin
• Ukrainian: порівня́льний (porivnjálʹnyj)

using comparison as a method of study

• Armenian: համեմատական (hy) (hamematakan)
• Azerbaijani: müqayisəli, müqayisəvi
• Bengali: তুলনামূলক (bn) (tulnamūlok)
• Bulgarian: сравни́телен (bg) (sravnítelen)
• Catalan: comparatiu
• Danish: komparativ (da)
• Finnish: vertaileva (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: komparativ (de)
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós)
• Hungarian: összehasonlító (hu), komparatív
• Irish: comparáideach
• Italian: comparativo (it) m
• Norman: compathatif (Jersey)
• Portuguese: comparativo (pt)
• Romanian: comparativ (ro) m
• Russian: сравни́тельный (ru) (sravnítelʹnyj)
• Slovak: komparatívny
• Spanish: comparativo (es)
• Swedish: jämförande (sv), komparativ (sv)
• Tagalog: hambingin
• Uzbek: qiyosiy (uz)

relative

• Bulgarian: относи́телен (bg) (otnosítelen)
• Finnish: suhteellinen (fi), verrannollinen (fi)
• German: verhältnismäßig (de), relativ (de)
• Italian: comparativo (it)
• Russian: относи́тельный (ru) (otnosítelʹnyj)
• Slovak: relatívny, pomerný
• Spanish: comparativo (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Old English: ^{(please verify)} wiþmetenlic, ^{(please verify)} wiþmetendlic

Noun

comparative (plural comparatives)

1. (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.
2. (grammar) A word in the comparative form.
3. (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.

4. (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.
   • c. 1608–1613, Nathan Field; John Fletcher, “Fovr Playes, or Morall Representations, in One”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, OCLC 3083972, Act , (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Gerrard ever was / His full comparative.

5. (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 606515358, [Act III, scene ii], line 67:

     Every beardless vain comparative.

Synonyms

• (grammar: degree): comparative degree

Translations

grammatical construction

• Albanian: shkalla krahasore f
• Arabic: دَرَجَة نِسْبِيَّة‎ f (daraja(t) nisbiyya)
• Belarusian: вышэ́йшая ступе́нь f (vyšéjšaja stupjénʹ), параўна́льная ступе́нь f (paraŭnálʹnaja 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), vertailumuoto
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: Höherstufe (de) f, Mehrstufe (de) f, Komparativ (de) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) m (sygkritikós)

  Ancient: συγκριτικόν n (sunkritikón)

• Hungarian: középfok (hu)
• Icelandic: miðstig (is) n
• Indonesian: pelebihan
• 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 (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

  Roman: 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

word in comparative form

• Catalan: comparatiu m
• Czech: komparativ (cs) m
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: Komparativ (de) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) m (sygkritikós)
• Indonesian: pembanding (id)
• Italian: comparativo (it)
• Norman: compathatif m
• Norwegian: komparativ (no)
• Persian: صفت برتر‎ (sefat-e bartar)
• Polish: stopień wyższy (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: comparativo (pt) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ко̏мпаратӣв m

  Roman: kȍmparatīv (sh) m

• Slovak: komparatív
• Spanish: comparativo (es) m
• Swedish: komparativ (sv) n
• Vietnamese: cấp so sánh

Related terms

• absolute comparative
• degrees of comparison
• superlative

See also

• absolute superlative, relative superlative, comparative superlative
• contrastive

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

• vampire taco

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

comparative

1. feminine singular of comparatif

Italian

Adjective

comparative

1. feminine plural of comparativo

Anagrams

• comparivate, crepitavamo, imporcavate

Latin

Adjective

comparātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of comparātīvus

References

• “comparative”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press