comparison
the act of comparing.
the state of being compared.
a likening; illustration by similitude; comparative estimate or statement.
Rhetoric. the considering of two things with regard to some characteristic that is common to both, as the likening of a hero to a lion in courage.
capability of being compared or likened.
Grammar.
the function of an adverb or adjective that is used to indicate degrees of superiority or inferiority in quality, quantity, or intensity.
the patterns of formation involved therein.
the degrees of a particular word, displayed in a fixed order, as mild, milder, mildest, less mild, least mild.
Origin of comparison
1Other words for comparison
Other words from comparison
- in·ter·com·par·i·son, noun
- pre·com·par·i·son, noun
- re·com·par·i·son, noun
Words Nearby comparison
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use comparison in a sentence
By comparison, the Biden campaign is projected to spent about $28 million this week, up from $27 million last week.
Trump and his campaign try to allay concerns about trailing Biden in television ads | Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey | September 17, 2020 | Washington PostFor comparison, the average American causes around 16 metric tons of emissions per year.
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money. | Sigal Samuel | September 17, 2020 | VoxAt Scripps Ranch High School, by comparison, students passed 1,058 AP tests.
When a Calculus Class Abruptly Became Ceramics at Lincoln High | Scott Lewis | September 16, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoFor comparison, Whitney examined four other tusks, from Africa’s Karoo Basin, which would not have lost sunlight during winter.
Ancient Lystrosaurus tusks may show the oldest signs of a hibernation-like state | Susan Milius | September 16, 2020 | Science NewsYet even that period paled in comparison against the 1950s and 1960s.
Trump’s ABC News town hall: Four Pinocchios, over and over again | Glenn Kessler | September 16, 2020 | Washington Post
The best comparison here for an American audience is, well, Internet stuff.
I enjoyed it, but thought it paled in comparison to their debut.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFor comparison, inmates at high-security federal prisons cost about $34,000 per year on average, as of 2012.
I was quite specifically talking about the comparison between playing Heimdall on one day, and playing Mandela on the next.
Idris Elba on Eric Garner, ‘Mi Mandela,’ and Selling Weed to Dave Chappelle | Marlow Stern | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut in recent days, I've found Sarah Palin an even more apt comparison.
Can there be any comparison between the educational efficiency of the two methods?
The Salvaging Of Civilisation | H. G. (Herbert George) WellsFor comparison, the gas may be passed through a test-tube containing an equal amount of distilled water.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIn comparison with the engines now in use, these Americans were very small ones.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellThis pipe has been proved by comparison to be probably quite late in the reign of Elizabeth.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.Let the student continue this comparison till he attains very nearly the brevity and discrimination displayed by Mr. Killick.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
British Dictionary definitions for comparison
/ (kəmˈpærɪsən) /
the act or process of comparing
the state of being compared
comparable quality or qualities; likeness: there was no comparison between them
a rhetorical device involving comparison, such as a simile
Also called: degrees of comparison grammar the listing of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverb
bear comparison or stand comparison to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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