comparative

[kuhm-par-uh-tiv] Example Sentences Origin

com·par·a·tive

[kuhm-par-uh-tiv]
adjective
1.
of or pertaining to comparison.
2.
proceeding by, founded on, or using comparison as a method of study: comparative anatomy.
3.
estimated by comparison; not positive or absolute; relative: a comparative newcomer in politics; to live in comparative luxury.
4.
Grammar. being, noting, or pertaining to the intermediate degree of the comparison of adjectives, as better and more beautiful, the comparative forms of good and beautiful, and of adverbs, as nearer and more carefully, the comparative forms of near and carefully. Compare positive (def. 20), superlative (def. 2).
noun Grammar.
5.
the comparative degree.
6.
a form in the comparative.

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Comparative is always a great word to know.
So is solidus. Does it mean:
diamond
a short oblique stroke (/) between two words indicating that whichever is appropriate may be chosen to complete the sense of the text in which they occur:

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin comparātīvus, equivalent to comparāt(us) (past participle of comparāre to compare; see -ate1) + -īvus -ive

com·par·a·tive·ly, adverb
com·par·a·tive·ness, noun

comparable, comparative.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Comparative
Example Sentences
  • The rankings include for the first time this year comparative data on tuition rates at universities.
  • But it is in the area of comparative genomics that the biggest strides are being made.
  • The results reveal the comparative strengths, advantages, and limitations of the various martial arts styles.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
comparative (kəmˈpærətɪv)
 
adj
1.  denoting or involving comparison: comparative literature
2.  judged by comparison; relative: a comparative loss of prestige
3.  grammar positive Compare superlative denoting the form of an adjective that indicates that the quality denoted is possessed to a greater extent. In English the comparative form of an adjective is usually marked by the suffix -er or the word more
 
n
4.  the comparative form of an adjective
 
com'paratively
 
adv
 
com'parativeness
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

comparative
1447, from L. comparativus "pertaining to comparison," from comparatus, pp. of comparare (see comparison). Originally grammatical; general sense is from c.1600; meaning "involving different branches of a subject" is from 1670s. Related: Comparatively (1570s).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

comparative definition


A form of an adjective indicating a greater degree of the quality that the adjective describes. Better is the comparative form of good; faster is the comparative form of fast; bluer is the comparative form of blue; more charming is the comparative form of charming. (Compare superlative.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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