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Comparative vs Contrastive - What's the difference?

comparative | contrastive |

As adjectives the difference between comparative and contrastive

is that comparative is of or relating to comparison while contrastive is contrasting.

As a noun comparative

is 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.

comparative

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or relating to comparison.
  • * Granvill
    • The comparative faculty.
  • Using comparison as a method of study, or founded on something using it.
    • comparative anatomy
  • Approximated by comparison; relative.
  • * Whewell
    • The recurrence of comparative warmth and cold.
  • * Bentley
    • The bubble, by reason of its comparative levity to the fluid that encloses it, would necessarily ascend to the top.
  • (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

    * comparatively * * comparativeness * comparativism * comparativist * comparativistic

    Noun

    (wikipedia comparative) (en noun)
  • (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 .
  • (grammar) A word in the comparative form.
  • (obsolete) An equal; a rival; a compeer.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
    • Gerard ever was / His full comparative .
  • (obsolete) One who makes comparisons; one who affects wit.
  • * .67:
    • Every beardless vain comparative .

    Related terms

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

    See also

    * contrastive

    References

    * * * ----

    contrastive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • contrasting
  • * {{quote-web
    • , date = 1965-06-04 , author = Shigeyuki Kuroda , title = Generative grammatical studies in the Japanese language , site = DSpace@MIT , url = http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/13006 , accessdate = 2014-02-24 }}
    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.

    Derived terms

    * contrastively

    See also

    * comparative ----