comparison

noun

com·​par·​i·​son kəm-ˈper-ə-sən 

-ˈpa-rə-

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

For comparison, that’s a rate of growth four times faster than major news sites like The New York Times and The Washington Post saw during that same period. —Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

In comparison to one of the world's biggest EV manufacturers, Tesla, which took almost 17 years to reach consistent profitability, Stark has done so in almost no time ... and it's done so through motorcycle sales alone! —New Atlas, 23 May 2025

For comparison, take a look at the Best Gaming Monitors of 2025 and see how the Dell G2524H stacks up. —Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 23 May 2025

Establishment-bashing politicians around the world, from Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro to the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte to the UK’s Boris Johnson, have drawn comparisons to Trump over the years. —Joshua Keating, Vox, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French comparison, from Latin comparation-, comparatio, from comparare — see compare entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing comparison

• by/in comparison
• comparison shop
• draw a comparison
• evokes/invites comparison with
• make a comparison
• no comparison
• pale by comparison
• pale in/by comparison to/with
• stands/bears comparison

Rhymes for comparison

• intercomparison
• parison

Kids Definition

comparison

noun

com·​par·​i·​son kəm-ˈpar-ə-sən 

1

: the act of comparing : the state of being compared

2

: change in the form of an adjective or an adverb (as by having -er or -est added or more or most prefixed) to show different levels of quality, quantity, or relation