comparison

B1 Topic:Language & Linguistics

US /kəmˈpɛɹ.ɪ.sən/ UK /kəmˈpæɹ.ɪ.sən/ See IPA manual

Freq #8551

Meanings

1

noun
The act of looking at how two or more things are similar or different.

He made a careful comparison of the available products before buying anything.
2

noun
The state of being similar or alike (usually with a negative).

There really is no comparison between today's computers and those of a decade ago.
3

noun
In grammar, the way adjectives and adverbs change form to show degree, as in hot, hotter, hottest.

In English, adjectives have three forms for comparison: hot, hotter, and hottest.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the act of looking at how... comparing parallel

2 noun · the state of being similar... comparability equivalence

Word family

Forms comparisons

Derived forms comparison-shopcomparison-shoppingcomparisonitiscomparisonwiseintercomparisonmegalocomparisonmulticomparisonrecomparison

Related forms comparable comparativecomparatorcompare

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

in comparison
when considered alongside something else to judge similarities or differences

Preposition + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Comparisons are odious

Etymology

From Middle English comparisoun, from Old French comparison, from Latin comparātiō, from comparātus, perfect passive participle of comparō.

comparisoun Middle English comparison Old French comparātiō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Language & Linguistics Actions & Processes

External links

# comparison

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəmˈpɛɹ.ɪ.sən/
**IPA (UK):** /kəmˈpæɹ.ɪ.sən/
**Frequency rank:** 8551

## Meanings
1. The act of looking at how two or more things are similar or different.
2. The state of being similar or alike (usually with a negative).
3. In grammar, the way adjectives and adverbs change form to show degree, as in hot, hotter, hottest.

## Examples
- He made a careful comparison of the available products before buying anything.
- There really is no comparison between today's computers and those of a decade ago.
- In English, adjectives have three forms for comparison: hot, hotter, and hottest.

## Derived Forms
- comparison-shop
- comparison-shopping
- comparisonitis
- comparisonwise
- intercomparison
- megalocomparison
- multicomparison
- recomparison

## Related Forms
- comparable
- comparative
- comparator
- compare

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: comparisoun
- Root: comparison
- Root: comparātiō

## Etymology
From Middle English comparisoun, from Old French comparison, from Latin comparātiō, from comparātus, perfect passive participle of comparō.

## AI Etymology
comparison is a noun. It is from Middle English comparisoun, from Old French comparison, from Latin comparātiō, from comparātus, perfect passive participle of comparō. Historical forms in the chain include comparisoun (Middle English), comparison (Old French), and comparātiō (Latin). Current senses include the act of looking at how two or more things are similar or different, the state of being similar or alike (usually with a negative), and in grammar, the way adjectives and adverbs change form to show degree, as in hot, hotter, hottest. Derived forms include comparison-shop, comparison-shopping, comparisonitis, comparisonwise, and intercomparison. Related words include comparable, comparative, comparator, and compare.

## Topics
- Language & Linguistics
- Actions & Processes

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