What does comparison mean?
Comparison is the act of examining two or more things in order to identify how they are alike and how they differ. It is one of the most fundamental operations of thought and language: we compare prices, candidates, ideas, and experiences constantly, often without noticing. As a noun, comparison appears in fixed expressions such as 'by comparison', 'in comparison with', and 'there's no comparison', which signal that one thing measures favorably or unfavorably against another. In grammar, comparison also names the process by which adjectives and adverbs take comparative and superlative forms like 'taller' and 'tallest'. The word carries no strong connotation of its own — its tone depends entirely on context, ranging from neutral analysis in academic writing to pointed judgment in everyday remarks such as 'it doesn't bear comparison'. Derived ultimately from the Latin 'comparare', meaning to pair or match together, comparison remains an indispensable tool for reasoning, evaluating, and describing the relative qualities of the world around us.
The act or process of examining two or more people, things, or ideas in order to note their similarities and differences.
"A careful comparison of the two manuscripts showed that one was copied from the other."
Commonly used with the prepositions 'with' and 'to'; 'in comparison with' is standard in formal writing.
A statement, estimate, or relation indicating the degree of likeness or difference between things.
"By comparison, this year's model is quieter and far more fuel-efficient."
In grammar, the modification of adjectives and adverbs into comparative and superlative forms.
"Students learned that comparison of 'good' yields 'better' and 'best'."
The plural is regular and common when referring to multiple acts or instances of comparing, as in research or analysis.
"The study drew several comparisons between urban and rural health outcomes."
'Comparison is the thief of joy' may be the most quoted saying about the word — yet we make billions of comparisons every day without ever noticing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of comparison
Comparison comes from Latin 'comparatio', the noun of action from 'comparare', meaning to pair, match, or bring together, formed from 'com-' (together) plus 'par' (equal). The word entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, and its grammatical sense — the forming of comparatives and superlatives — was established by early modern times. It shares its root with related English words including 'compare', 'comparable', 'parity', 'pair', and 'peer', all tracing back to the same notion of equality or pairing.
Related word forms
How comparison is actually used
Comparison is a neutral, everyday-to-formal noun used across registers. The fixed phrases 'by comparison' and 'in comparison with/to' are extremely common in writing and speech. In grammar contexts it has the specialized sense of comparative and superlative formation.
Easily confused with comparison
Comparison means weighing similarities and differences, while compassion means sympathetic concern for others' suffering.
Comprehension refers to understanding or grasping meaning, whereas comparison refers to evaluating likenesses and differences.