comparison
noun
com·par·i·son
| \ kəm-ˈper-ə-sən
, -ˈpa-rə-\
, -ˈpa-rə-\
Definition of comparison
1
: the act or process of comparing: such as
a
: the representing of one thing or person as similar to or like another
His poetry invites comparison with the poems of Robert Frost.
b
: an examination of two or more items to establish similarities and dissimilarities
His faults seem minor by comparison. a comparison of the sports cars
2
: identity of features : similarity
several points of comparison between the two
3
: the modification of an adjective or adverb to denote different levels of quality, quantity, or relation
Examples of comparison in a Sentence
a comparison of the data from the two studies
the comparison of monkeys to humans
I don't think comparisons of her situation and mine are appropriate.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Because while the obvious comparisons to the perennial College Football Playoff contending Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are naturally obvious, in reality what Cristobal is truly modeling Oregon after most-closely is Clemson. — oregonlive, "Will Mario Cristobal’s belief in where the Oregon Ducks are headed converge with where they are in season opener against Auburn?," 29 Aug. 2019 The good news for Wisconsin is that overall life expectancy appears to outpace the national average of 78.6 years, although direct comparisons aren’t possible due to differences in methodology. — Scott Bauer, Twin Cities, "Life expectancy drops in Wisconsin due to alcohol, drugs," 22 Aug. 2019 An even apter comparison might be the Infinity Gauntlet, the jeweled glove that propelled the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "Disney+ Brandishes Its Weapon: An Infinity Gauntlet of Brands," 20 Aug. 2019 In at least one important sense, the price tags, that comparison is apt. — Fortune, "Electric Car Gold Rush: The Auto Industry Charges Into China," 20 Aug. 2019 Having already claimed five major domestic trophies, a World Cup winner's medal and the Ligue 1 Player of the Year title last season, this comparison could be a sign of what's to come for Camavinga. — SI.com, "Eduardo Camavinga: 5 Things to Know About Rennes' 16-Year-Old Wonderkid," 20 Aug. 2019 The most vivid comparison to me is both teams’ unexpected reliance on pitchers that never were supposed to have a role. — Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, "These Red Sox are reminiscent of some other underachievers," 19 Aug. 2019 France’s intentional homicide rate in 2016, the most recent year for which United Nations figures offer a comparison, was about a quarter of that in the United States. — New York Times, "French Waiter Shot Dead Over Slow Sandwich Service, Witnesses Say," 18 Aug. 2019 Obama’s comparison to the US in the time of Jim Crow is apt: The Ku Klux Klan acted as political enforcers in the post-reconstruction South, terrorizing black communities to maintain the political power of the white establishment. — Tim Fernholz, Quartz, "America’s mass shootings are a political choice," 6 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'comparison.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for comparison
comparison
noun
English Language Learners Definition of comparison
: the act of looking at things to see how they are similar or different
: the act of suggesting that two or more things are similar or in the same category
See the full definition for comparison in the English Language Learners Dictionary
comparison
noun
com·par·i·son
| \ kəm-ˈper-ə-sən
\
\
Kids Definition of comparison
1
: the act of examining things to see if they are similar or different : the condition of being examined to find similarity or difference
2
: similarity
There's no comparison between the two models.
3
: change in the form and meaning of an adjective or an adverb (as by adding -er or -est to the word or by adding more or most before the word) to show different levels of quality, quantity, or relation
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