comparative

English

Etymology

Originated 1400–50 from late Middle English comparative, from Latin comparativus, equivalent to comparatus, from comparare (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -ivus.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /kəmˈpæɹ.ə.tɪf/, X-SAMPA: /k@m"p{r.@.tIf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)

1. Of or relating to comparison.
   • Granvill

     The comparative faculty.

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

   comparative anatomy

3. Approximated by comparison; relative.
   • 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.

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

Translations

of or relating to comparison

• Bulgarian: сравнителен (bg) (sravnitelen)
• Catalan: comparatiu (ca)
• Finnish: verrannollinen (fi), vertaileva (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós)
• Irish: comparáideach (ga)
• Italian: comparativo (it) m

• Jèrriais: compathatif
• Norwegian: komparativ (no)
• Persian: تفضیلی (fa), تطبیقی (fa)
• Romanian: comparativ (ro)
• Russian: сравнительный (ru) (sravnít'el'nyj)
• Spanish: comparativo (es)

using comparison as a method of study

• Bulgarian: сравнителен (bg) (sravnitelen)
• Catalan: comparatiu (ca)
• Finnish: vertaileva (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós)

• Italian: comparativo (it) m
• Jèrriais: compathatif
• Russian: сравнительный (ru) (sravnít'el'nyj)
• Spanish: comparativo (es)

relative

• Bulgarian: относителен (bg) (otnositelen)
• Finnish: suhteellinen (fi), verrannollinen (fi)

• Russian: относительный (ru) (otnosít'el'nyj)
• Spanish: comparativo (es)

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 Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Old English: wiþmetenlic, wiþmetendlic
• German: vergleichend

Noun

Wikipedia 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. (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.
   • Beaumont and Flanders

     Gerard ever was / His full comparative.

4. (obsolete) One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
   • Shakespeare

     Every beardless vain comparative.

Translations

grammatical construction

• Bulgarian: сравнителна степен (bg) (sravnitelna stepen)
• Catalan: comparatiu (ca) m
• Faroese: miðstig (fo) n
• Finnish: komparatiivi (fi), vertailumuoto (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: Vergleichsform (de) f, Komparativ (de) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós) m

• Hungarian: középfok (hu)
• Irish: breischéim (ga) f
• Italian: comparativo (it) m
• Jèrriais: compathatif m
• Polish: stopień wyższy (pl) m
• Serbo-Croatian: kȍmparatīv (sh) m
• Spanish: comparativo (es) m

word in comparative form

• Catalan: comparatiu (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Simplified: 比较

  Traditional: 比較

• Czech: komparativ (cs) m
• Dutch: vergrotende trap (nl) m
• Finnish: komparatiivi (fi), vertailumuoto (fi)
• French: comparatif (fr) m
• German: Komparativ (de) m
• Greek: συγκριτικός (el) (sygkritikós) m
• Icelandic: miðstig (is) n
• Italian: comparativo (it)
• Japanese: 比較級 (ja)

• Jèrriais: compathatif m
• Korean: 비교급 (ko) (bu-gyo-geup,比較級)
• Latin: comparativus (la) m
• Norwegian: komparativ (no)
• Novial: komparative
• Old English: óðere wordmittung f, óðere wordsomnung f;
• Persian: صفت برتر (sefat-e bartar)
• Polish: stopień wyższy (pl) m
• Portuguese: comparativo (pt) m
• Russian: сравнительная степень (sravnítel’naja stépen’) f
• Serbo-Croatian: kȍmparatīv (sh) m
• Spanish: comparativo (es) m
• Swedish: komparativ (sv) n
• Vietnamese: cấp so sánh

Related terms

• absolute, absolute superlative, relative superlative, comparative superlative
• degrees of comparison
• superlative

References

• “comparative” in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
• “comparative” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.
• "comparative" in WordNet 3.0, Princeton University, 2006.

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French

Adjective

comparative f

1. feminine form of comparatif

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Italian

Adjective

comparative f

1. feminine plural of comparativo

Anagrams

• comparivate
• crepitavamo

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Latin

Adjective

comparātīve

1. vocative masculine singular of comparātīvus