different between comparative vs contrastive

English

Etymology

From Middle French comparatif, from Latin comparativus, equivalent to comparatus, from comparare (“to compare”) + -ive, from Latin -ivus.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /k?m?pæ?.?.t?v/
• (General American) enPR: k?m?p?r-?-t?v
  • (Mary–marry–merry distinction) IPA^(key): /k?m?pæ?.?.t?v/
  • (Mary–marry–merry merger) IPA^(key): /k?m?p??.?.t?v/
• (Mary–marry–merry distinction)
• (Mary–marry–merry merger)
• Hyphenation: com?par?a?tive

Adjective

comparative (comparative more comparative, superlative most comparative)

1. Of or relating to comparison.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

   • 1773, James Burnett, Of the Origin and Progress of Language

     that kind of animals that have the comparative faculty, by which they compare things together, deliberate and resolve

2. Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.

3. Approximated by comparison; relative.
   • 1837, William Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences

     The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold.

   • 1692, Richard Bentley, A Confutation of Atheism

     This bubble, […] by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that encloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top.

4. (obsolete) Comparable; bearing comparison.
   • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, II.137:

     And need he had of slumber yet, for none / Had suffered more—his hardships were comparative / To those related in my grand-dad's Narrative.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

comparative (plural comparatives)

1. (grammar) A construction showing a relative quality, in English usually formed by adding more or appending -er. For example, the comparative of green is greener; of evil, more evil.
2. (grammar) A word in the comparative form.
3. (chiefly in the plural) Data used to make a comparison.
4. (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.

   • Gerrard ever was / His full comparative.

5. (obsolete) One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
   • 1597, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Pt. 1, III.ii.67:

     Every beardless vain comparative.

Synonyms

• (grammar: degree): comparative degree

Translations

Related terms

• absolute, absolute superlative, relative superlative, comparative superlative
• degrees of comparison
• superlative

See also

• contrastive

References

• “comparative”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, ?ISBN
• “comparative” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "comparative" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

Anagrams

• vampire taco

French

Adjective

comparative

1. feminine singular of comparatif

Italian

Adjective

comparative

1. feminine plural of comparativo

Anagrams

• comparivate
• crepitavamo

Latin

Adjective

compar?t?ve

1. vocative masculine singular of compar?t?vus

References

• comparative in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

English

Etymology

contrast +? -ive

Adjective

contrastive (comparative more contrastive, superlative most contrastive)

1. Contrasting.

   • This thesis is an attempt to apply the theory of transformational grammar to the Japanese language. […] Comparison of the structure of Japanese and English is also our concern, whenever possible, and it is seen that the transformational theory is helpful in such contrastive studies.

   • 1985, David-Hillel Ruben, The Metaphysics of the Social World (page 141)

     Consider the first, allegedly contrastive fact, that there were some bank robbings by Sutton rather than no robbings at all by Sutton.

   • 2008, Alexandra Aikhenvald, The Manambu Language of East Sepik, Papua New Guinea (?ISBN), page 1:

     Vowel length is contrastive.

Derived terms

• contrastively

See also

• comparative

Italian

Adjective

contrastive

1. feminine plural of contrastivo

Anagrams

• contestarvi
• scontratevi