comparison

noun

kuhm-PAIR-i-suhn/kəmˈpɛɹɪsən/UKkuhm-PA-ri-suhn/kəmˈpaɹɪsən/

7 meanings of comparison

1
nouncountable
A close look at how two or more things are alike and how they are different.
Like holding two photos side by side to see what matches and what doesn't.
The teacher asked us for a comparison of the two poems.
A careful comparison of prices helped them pick the cheaper store.
Similarcontrast, evaluation, assessment, analysis
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of looking at things to see how they are alike or different.
Like putting two toys together to check which one is bigger.
Comparison is easier when the items sit right next to each other.
She made a quick comparison before choosing her seat.
Similarparallel
Note
3
noununcountable
Used in negative phrases to mean being as good as or as similar as something else.
Like saying a small candle and the sun are not really alike at all.
There is no comparison between fresh fruit and canned fruit.
Her old phone was fine, but it bears no comparison to the new one.
Similarsimilarity, resemblance, contest
Note
4
noununcountable
In grammar, the way adjectives and adverbs change form to show more or less of a quality.
Like changing 'tall' to 'taller' when one person is higher than another.
In English, comparison turns 'fast' into 'faster' and 'fastest'.
Adjectives like 'good' have irregular comparison, becoming 'better' and 'best'.
Note
5
nouncountable
Something you compare another thing to, used to show what it is like.
Like saying someone is 'as brave as a lion' to show how brave they are.
The poet used a flower as a comparison for his love.
To explain the idea, she reached for a simple comparison.
Similaranalogy, parallel, illustration, likeness
Note
6
nounrhetoriccountable
A way of describing one thing by saying it is like another.
Like saying the snow was a white blanket over the fields.
He drew a comparison between the loud crowd and a stormy sea.
A good comparison can make a poem come alive.
Similarsimile, analogy
Note
7
noununcountable
In old brain studies, the mental power thought to notice how things are alike or different.
Like a part of the mind whose only job is to sort things into 'same' and 'different'.
The phrenologist said her strong comparison let her spot patterns others missed.
He believed comparison was seated just above the brows.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of comparison apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Latin comparātiō, from the verb comparō. It reached English through Old French.