comparative
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.connected with or based on comparing two or more things.
adj.relating to or involving the act of comparison as a primary method of analysis.
Simple“The researchers conducted a comparative study of the two different school systems.”
In context“A comparative analysis of the two legal frameworks reveals significant discrepancies in how they handle digital privacy rights.”
Synonymscontrastiveevaluative - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.measured by comparing something to others, rather than by a fixed standard.
adj.estimated by comparison; relative rather than absolute in nature.
Simple“After years of war, the country is finally enjoying a period of comparative peace.”
In context“The startup's comparative success in a crowded market can be attributed to its aggressive pricing strategy and lean operational model.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.the form of an adjective or adverb used to compare two things, like 'faster' or 'more expensive'.
n.the intermediate degree of comparison for an adjective or adverb, typically formed in English via the suffix '-er' or the periphrastic 'more'.
Simple“The comparative of 'good' is 'better', and the comparative of 'bad' is 'worse'.”
In context“Students often struggle with irregular comparatives, mistakenly applying standard suffix rules to words like 'far' or 'little'.”
UsageIn English, short adjectives take '-er' while longer adjectives use 'more' before the word.
PitfallHe is more taller than his brother. He is taller than his brother.Do not use 'more' with adjectives that already have an '-er' ending.
Antonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.information or figures used to compare one period or thing with another.
n.data points or statistics, often used in plural, that facilitate a direct comparison between different sets of results.
Simple“The report includes the comparatives from last year to show our growth.”
In context“Without reliable historical comparatives, it is difficult for the board to determine whether the current quarterly earnings represent a true upward trend.”
Synonyms
“This fixes the Greenland-Africa size issue, allowing those who use it to get a sense of the comparative size of different landmasses, all while preserving straight lines of longitude and latitude.”
From Middle English comparatif, from Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparātus, from comparāre (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -īvus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.