# comparable

Pronunciation: say "KOM-pruh-bul" US /ˈkɑmp(ə)ɹəbl̩/, UK /ˈkɒmp(ə)ɹəbl̩/

## Adjective

1. Similar to something else; of much the same kind or degree.
   - Simple: Close enough to something else that the two seem much alike.
   - _The two cities offer comparable job opportunities for young graduates._
   - _Her new salary is comparable to what she earned at her previous company._
2. Capable of being compared with something else, so the two can be measured or judged side by side.
   - Simple: Able to be measured against something else to see how they match up.
   - _The figures are comparable across regions because the same survey method was used everywhere._
   - _Unless the units match, the measurements are not comparable._
4. Of an adjective or adverb, capable of forming comparative and superlative degrees.
   - Simple: Able to change form to show 'more' and 'most,' the way many describing words do.
   - _In English, 'happy' is comparable, yielding 'happier' and 'happiest.'_
   - _Grammarians debate whether absolute adjectives like 'perfect' are truly comparable._
5. Of two elements in a partially ordered set, related by the order so that one is less than or equal to the other.
   - Simple: Able to be ranked, so that one of two things counts as bigger than or equal to the other.
   - _In a partial order, two elements are comparable if one precedes or equals the other._
   - _The sets {1,2} and {2,3} are not comparable, since neither is a subset of the other._

## Noun

3. An item or case selected as suitable for comparison with another.
   - Simple: A thing picked because it is close enough to another to be measured against it.
   - _Appraisers looked for a recent comparable in the same neighborhood before valuing the home._
   - _Each comparable must share key features with the property being assessed._

## Origin

This word came through Middle English and Middle French "comparable" from Latin "comparābilis". It can be analyzed as "compare" plus the suffix "-able".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/comparable (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).