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
By comparison, last season set a Divisional record with an average of 40 million viewers for the four games.
—
Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Several voices on the right condemned any comparisons to a Nazi salute — as well as media coverage of the episode — as an attempt to smear Musk.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025
In comparison, Harris won 520,187 votes, with Senator Jacky Rosen getting 514,662 votes, amounting to a 1.06 percent Democratic drop-off.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
His outstanding velocity at such a young age has inevitably drawn comparisons with Ohtani, but the similarities do not end there.
—Jamie Barton, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for comparison 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Several voices on the right condemned any comparisons to a Nazi salute — as well as media coverage of the episode — as an attempt to smear Musk.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025
In comparison, Harris won 520,187 votes, with Senator Jacky Rosen getting 514,662 votes, amounting to a 1.06 percent Democratic drop-off.
—John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
His outstanding velocity at such a young age has inevitably drawn comparisons with Ohtani, but the similarities do not end there.
—Jamie Barton, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for comparison
Dictionary Entries Near comparison
Cite this Entry
“Comparison.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comparison. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share