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
But because of the comparative lack of accessible Soviet-era records, Forassiepi and his co-authors chose the probe as a case study.
—
Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
The Breadth of California’s Injury Claim Protections Beyond the pure comparative fault doctrine, California has developed an extensive body of statutory and common law protections for personal injury victims.
—Anton Lucanus
may 7, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The semiquincentennial inherently underscores the comparative youth of the United States; Italy, Greece, China, and India count their historic legacies in millennia, not centuries.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The effort builds on roughly two years of development, during which the company has assembled the ancient bluebuck genome, created a reference genome using the roan antelope, completed comparative genomic analysis, and established foundational cellular and reproductive systems for the species.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 10 May 2026
The Breadth of California’s Injury Claim Protections Beyond the pure comparative fault doctrine, California has developed an extensive body of statutory and common law protections for personal injury victims.
—Anton Lucanus
may 7, Sacbee.com, 7 May 2026
The semiquincentennial inherently underscores the comparative youth of the United States; Italy, Greece, China, and India count their historic legacies in millennia, not centuries.
—Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The effort builds on roughly two years of development, during which the company has assembled the ancient bluebuck genome, created a reference genome using the roan antelope, completed comparative genomic analysis, and established foundational cellular and reproductive systems for the species.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for comparative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for comparative
relative
Adjective
-
Van de Peer and his colleagues wanted to understand what accounts for the abundance of modern polyploidy and the seeming relative scarcity of it long ago.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
19 May 2026
-
That decision may have looked reasonable during a long stretch of relative calm.—
Contessa Brewer,Dawn Giel,
CNBC,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Comparative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comparative. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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