as in relative
being such only when compared to something else
if you consider the multimillionaire's yearly income, we're living in comparative poverty
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Recent Examples of comparative
In the case of the pharmaceutical industry, robust M&A activity helps maintain a vibrant research landscape and allows both large and small pharmaceuticals to focus on their comparative advantages.
—
Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Despite their mass use, Manuylov hopes to convince various associations and research boards to conduct comparative field tests of the classic methods versus his own.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Researchers analyzed 94 primate species, both living and extinct, using a Bayesian phylogenetic comparative approach.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The costs were already the highest in Africa in 2024, according to the International Schools Database, a comparative research platform for international schools around the world.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Despite their mass use, Manuylov hopes to convince various associations and research boards to conduct comparative field tests of the classic methods versus his own.
—Maria Williams, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Researchers analyzed 94 primate species, both living and extinct, using a Bayesian phylogenetic comparative approach.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The costs were already the highest in Africa in 2024, according to the International Schools Database, a comparative research platform for international schools around the world.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comparative
relative
Adjective
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Poor cardiovascular fitness carries a greater relative risk of death than smoking, according to the book.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Sep. 2025
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Its absence means the relative improvements might not fully translate to real-world applications.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Comparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comparative. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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