Word family noun comparison comparability the comparative adjective comparable ≠ incomparable comparative verb compare adverb comparatively comparably
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcomparisoncom‧pa‧ri‧son /kəmˈpærəsən/ ●●○ W2 noun 1 COMPARINGcomparing [uncountable]COMPARE the process of comparing two or more people or things → compare, comparativecomparison with Comparison with his previous movies shows how Lee has developed as a director.in comparison (with/to something) In comparison to other recent video games, this one isn’t very exciting. He was a loud friendly man. In comparison, his brother was rather shy.by comparison (with something) By comparison with other European countries, car prices in the UK are very high. After months of living in a tropical climate, Spain seemed cool by comparison.for comparison (with something) These figures are provided for comparison with the results of previous studies. He showed us the original text for comparison. Her paintings invite comparison with those of the early Impressionists (=they remind you of them).stand/bear comparison (=is as good as someone or something else) Irving’s work bears comparison with the best of the modern novelists.on comparison British English (=after you have compared two things to see if they are similar or different) On comparison, the Renault was the more reliable of the two cars.2 JUDGMENTjudgment [countable]EXAMINE a statement or examination of how similar or different two people or things arecomparison of a comparison of pollution levels in Chicago and Detroitcomparison between The article makes a comparison between the two poems.RegisterIn written English, people often use draw a comparison rather than make a comparison, as it sounds more formal:The writer draws a comparison between the 1950s and the present day.3 BE LIKE somethingbe like something [countable]LIKE/SIMILAR a statement that someone or something is like someone or something else(make/draw) a comparison between somebody/something (=show the similarities between two people or things) The writer draws comparisons between the two presidents. You can’t make a comparison between American and Japanese schools – they’re too different.4 → there’s no comparison5 GRAMMARgrammar [uncountable]SLG a word used in grammar meaning the way an adverb or adjective changes its form to show whether it is comparative or superlativeCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a statement or examination of how similar or different two people or things areverbsmake a comparison (=compare people or things)Using the Internet is an easy way to make comparisons between prices.draw a comparison (=say in what way people or things are similar)People have drawn comparisons between this movie and those of Quentin Tarantino.provide a comparisonThe test can be used to provide a comparison of a child's language development with that of other children.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + comparisona direct comparisonYou can’t really make a direct comparison between the the two schools.an interesting comparisonThe exhibition provides an interesting comparison of the artists’ works.a valid/useful/meaningful comparison (=a reasonable one, based on sensible information)There is not enough data for a valid comparison to be made.a fair/unfair comparisonA fair comparison between the two firms is extremely difficult.a favourable/unfavourable comparison (=in which one thing or person is judged to be better/worse than another)My family was always making unfavourable comparisons between me and my older brother.a detailed comparisonStudents had to write a detailed comparison of the two texts.a price comparisonA price comparison shopping site was launched last month. Examples from the Corpus
comparison• This is an attempt to distance themselves from comparisons with those doing research in brain modeling.• The Warriors' point guards seem more like foot soldiers in comparison.• From Augustus to Peter the Great, the history books were ransacked to find suitable comparisons.• Manometric studies in patients with Barrett's oesophagus are few and the comparison with patients with gastrooesophageal reflux are less frequent.• The point of making these comparisons is that artistic practices affect how a critic should describe a landscape.• These comparisons form the basis for the determination of prevalence estimates for anemia, growth retardation, or overweight.• Between treatment comparisons were made using signed rank tests and correlations were sought using Spearman's rank correlation test.stand/bear comparison• Both Lemper and Stratas have recorded it, but Réaux stands comparison well.• He came to realize that traditional accounts of science, whether inductivist or falsificationist, do not bear comparison with historical evidence.• The position bears comparison with the development of geometrical reasoning by Euclid.• Another site which bears comparison with Chedworth is Nettleton Scrubb in Wiltshire.• Our commitment to quality and to professionalism will ensure that this prototype database will stand comparison by international standards.• It would stand comparison even with that special day.makes ... comparison• The Easter holiday, which fell in March last year, also makes comparison difficult.• Quality expects rewards, experience makes comparisons.• Overall, there appear to be some significant differences when one makes comparison with more typically modernist organizations.• Problems arise when the Ego not only makes comparisons, but makes value judgements.• The perceived value of the statement is that its standardisation makes comparisons between companies and industries more reliable.(make/draw) a comparison between somebody/something• A comparison between the north part of the Calais region and central London is ludicrous.• Finally, one general feature of the framework of this subsection is worthy of note, in order to facilitate comparisons between models.• Firstly, however, the crude comparisons between action and control samples in terms of institutionalisation are made.• I see no basis for meaningful comparison between solicitors and mediators.• It is also clear that it is difficult to draw comparisons between the Western Isles and the developing countries.• The comparison between Reagan and Bush has been made increasingly often in recent days.• The perceived value of the statement is that its standardisation makes comparisons between companies and industries more reliable.• There is no comparison between this form and the one on which people claim for mortgage interest relief. 