(~s)
1.
You use ~ to show that you are judging something against a previous or different situation. For example, ~ calm is a situation which is calmer than before or calmer than the situation in other places.
...those who manage to reach the ~ safety of Fendel...
The task was accomplished with ~ ease.
= relative
ADJ: ADJ n
~ly
...a ~ly small nation.
...children who find it ~ly easy to make and keep friends.
ADV: ADV adj/adv
2.
A ~ study is a study that involves the comparison of two or more things of the same kind.
...a ~ study of the dietary practices of people from various regions of India.
...a professor of English and ~ literature.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
In grammar, the ~ form of an adjective or adverb shows that something has more of a quality than something else has. For example, ‘bigger’ is the ~ form of ‘big’, and ‘more quickly’ is the ~ form of ‘quickly’. Compare superlative .
ADJ: ADJ n
•
Comparative is also a noun.
The ~ of ‘pretty’ is ‘prettier’.
N-COUNT: oft the N