pref ‧ e ‧ ra ‧ ble /ˈpref ə rəb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ preferably , ↑ preferentially ; adjective : ↑ preferable , ↑ preferential ; verb : ↑ prefer ; noun : ↑ preference ]
better or more suitable:
For this dish, fresh herbs and garlic are preferable.
In warm weather, clothes made of natural fabrics are infinitely preferable (=much better) .
preferable to (doing) something
Being taught in a small group is far preferable to being in a large, noisy classroom.
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THESAURUS
▪ better the ↑ comparative of good:
She wants a better job.
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The sales figures were far better than expected.
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Lucy’s better at French than I am.
▪ superior better, especially in quality:
German cars are far superior.
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a superior product
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He thinks men are superior to women.
▪ preferable formal more suitable or useful – used when saying which one you prefer:
Cash would be preferable.
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Anything would be preferable to the system we have now.
▪ be an improvement on something to be better than something that existed before:
The engine is a huge improvement on previous diesel engines.
▪ have the edge to be slightly better than another person or thing – used especially when saying which one will win in a game or competition:
Federer is likely to have the edge in Sunday’s game.
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For me, this film has the edge over the others.
▪ be miles ahead (of somebody/something) ( also be streets ahead (of somebody/something) British English ) informal to be very much better than someone or something that you are competing against:
The company is streets ahead of its rivals.
▪ there’s no comparison spoken used to emphasize that one person or thing is clearly much better than someone or something else:
There’s no comparison between the two teams.
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‘Which apartment do you prefer?' 'Well, there’s no comparison. The first one we saw is bigger, quieter, and has much nicer furniture.'