comparison

American  

[kuhm-par-uh-suhn] / kəmˈpær ə sən /

noun

1. the act of comparing.

2. the state of being compared.

3. a likening; illustration by similitude; comparative estimate or statement.

4. 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.

5. capability of being compared or likened.

   Synonyms:

   similarity, resemblance, likeness

6. Grammar.

   1. the function of an adverb or adjective that is used to indicate degrees of superiority or inferiority in quality, quantity, or intensity.

   2. the patterns of formation involved therein.

   3. the degrees of a particular word, displayed in a fixed order, as mild, milder, mildest, less mild, least mild.

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comparison British  

/ kəmˈpærɪsən /

noun

1. the act or process of comparing

2. the state of being compared

3. comparable quality or qualities; likeness

   there was no comparison between them

4. a rhetorical device involving comparison, such as a simile

5. Also called: degrees of comparison.  grammar the listing of the positive, comparative, and superlative forms of an adjective or adverb

6. to be sufficiently similar in class or range to be compared with (something else), esp favourably

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Other Word Forms

• intercomparison noun
• precomparison noun
• recomparison noun

Etymology

Origin of comparison

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English comparesoun, from Old French comparaison, from Latin comparātiōn-, stem of comparātiō, from comparāt(us) “placed together” (past participle of comparāre “to place together, match”; compare ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

Four counties were excluded for comparison in the report because the numbers were too small.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Typical increases in mortgage payments would remain "modest in comparison to those experienced in recent years, as most mortgagors were already on higher rates" the Bank said.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

By comparison with some of the nefarious plotters in that show, Titus is a bit of an also-ran—at least at first.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

For comparison, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Wednesday rose 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

It was the most humiliating comparison of my life.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Related Words

• analogy
• connection
• contrast
• correlation
• example
• identification
• juxtaposition
• observation
• ratio
• relation
• resemblance
• similarity
• testing