I. com ‧ par ‧ a ‧ tive 1 /kəmˈpærətɪv/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ comparison , ↑ comparability , the comparative; adverb : ↑ comparatively , ↑ comparably ; adjective : ↑ comparable ≠ ↑ incomparable , ↑ comparative ; verb : ↑ compare ]
1 . comparative comfort/freedom/wealth etc comfort, freedom, wealth etc that is quite good when compared to how comfortable, free, or rich etc something or someone else is SYN relative :
After a lifetime of poverty, his last few years were spent in comparative comfort.
She didn’t want to leave the comparative safety of the shelter.
2 . comparative study/analysis etc a study etc that involves comparing something to something else:
a comparative study of the US and British steel industries
3 . comparative beginner/newcomer etc someone who is not really a beginner etc, but who seems to be one when compared to other people who have lived or worked somewhere for a long time:
After living here five years, we’re still considered comparative newcomers.
4 . comparative figures/data comparative figures etc are similar to other figures, so that you can make a comparison:
Comparative figures for last year clearly show how sales have declined.
5 . technical the comparative form of an adjective or adverb shows an increase in size, quality, degree etc when it is considered in relation to something else. For example, ‘bigger’ is the comparative form of ‘big’, and ‘more slowly’ is the comparative form of ‘slowly’. ⇨ superlative
II. comparative 2 BrE AmE noun
the comparative technical the form of an adjective or adverb that shows an increase in size, degree etc when something is considered in relation to something else. For example, ‘bigger’ is the comparative of ‘big’, and ‘more slowly’ is the comparative of ‘slowly’. ⇨ the superlative