comparing and contrasting
against preposition TOUCHING
5. in front of or compared to
Paintings look best against a simple white wall.
analogy noun [ C or U ]
a comparison between things which have similar features, often used to help explain a principle or idea
He drew an analogy between the brain and a vast computer.
It is sometimes easier to illustrate an abstract concept by analogy with (= by comparing it with) something concrete.
benchmark verb [ T ]
to measure the quality of something by comparing it with something else of an accepted standard
His reports pointed out that we do not have reliability in the sense of all schools being benchmarked against the best.
benchmarking noun [ U ]
rigorous benchmarking of research performance
The Government is planning to launch a benchmarking scheme to guide consumers.
beside preposition
2. compared to another person or thing
Those books seem rather dull beside this one.
cf. , cf formal
used in writing when you want the reader to make a comparison between the subject being discussed and something else
comparably adverb
comparably priced tickets
comparative adjective EXAMINING DIFFERENCES
1. comparing different things
She's carrying out a comparative study of health in inner cities and rural areas.
comparatively adverb
as compared to something else
We couldn't afford it and yet we're comparatively well-off (= we are richer than most people) .
Comparatively speaking , this machine is easy to use.
compare verb [ T ] EXAMINE DIFFERENCES
1. to examine or look for the difference between two or more things
If you compare house prices in the two areas, it's quite amazing how different they are.
That seems expensive - have you compared prices in other shops?
Compare some recent work with your older stuff and you'll see how much you've improved.
This road is quite busy compared to/with ours.
Children seem to learn more interesting things compared to/with when we were at school.
compare verb [ T ] CONSIDER SIMILARITIES
2. to judge, suggest or consider that something is similar or of equal quality to something else
The poet compares his lover's tongue to a razor blade.
Still only twenty-five, she has been compared to the greatest dancer of all time.
People have compared me to Elizabeth Taylor.
You can't compare the two cities - they're totally different.
comparison noun [ C or U ] EXAMINING DIFFERENCES
1. when two or more people or things are compared
They made a comparison of different countries' eating habits.
By/In comparison with the French, the British eat far less fish.
comparison noun [ C or U ] CONSIDERING SIMILARITIES
2. when something is considered similar or of equal quality to something else
She drew a comparison between life in the army and life in prison.
To my mind there's no comparison between the two restaurants (= one is much better than the other) .
He's a good writer but he doesn't bear/stand comparison with Shakespeare (= he is not nearly as good as Shakespeare) .
competitive adjective
3. Competitive prices, services, etc. are as good as or better than other prices, services, etc.
contrast verb
1. [ T ] to compare two people or things in order to show the differences between them
If you contrast some of her early writing with her later work, you can see just how much she improved.
differentiate verb FIND DIFFERENCE
1. [ I or T ] to show or find the difference between things which are compared
We do not differentiate between our workers on the basis of their background or ethnic origin.
differentiation noun
1. [ C ] when you differentiate
a differentiation between mental illness and mental handicap
for preposition COMPARING
7. used for comparing one thing with others of the same type
She's very mature for her age.
For every two people in favour of the law there are three against.
The summer has been quite hot for England.
It was a difficult decision, especially for a child.
For a man of his wealth he's not exactly generous.
ˈ gold ˌ standard noun [ S ] GOOD THING
2. something which is very good and is used for measuring how good other similar things are
I think 'Sesame Street' is still the gold standard for preschool television.
of preposition COMPARING
15. used when comparing related things
Best of all I liked the green one.
Worst of all was the food!
He's the best looking of the three brothers.
I think that of all his films it's my favourite.
on preposition COMPARISON
20. used when making a comparison
£950 is my final offer, and I can't improve on it.
The productivity figures are down/up on last week's.
one pronoun COMPARISON
4. used to talk about one person or thing compared with other similar or related people or things
They look so similar it's often difficult to distinguish one from the other.
You may have one or the other, but not both.
Crime and freedom are inseparable. You can't have one without the other.
relative adjective formal COMPARING
1. being judged or measured in comparison with something else
We weighed up the relative advantages of driving there or going by train.
relative adjective formal COMPARING
2. Relative can also mean that something is true to a particular degree when it is being compared with other things
Since I got a job, I've been living in relative comfort (= more comfort than before) .
relativity noun [ U ]
2. formal the state of being judged in comparison with other things and not by itself
simile noun [ C or U ]
(the use of) an expression comparing one thing with another, always including the words `as' or `like'
The lines 'She walks in beauty, like the night...' from Byron's poem contain a simile.
to preposition COMPARED WITH
30. compared with
She's earning a reasonable wage, but nothing to what she could if she was in the private sector.
Paul beat me by three games to two (= He won three and I won two) .
He was old enough to be her father - she looked about thirty to his sixty.
vis-a-vis preposition formal
2. in comparison with
The decline in the power of local authorities vis-a-vis central government is worrying.
with preposition COMPARISON
12. used in comparisons
I've got nothing in common with my brother.
This cake's very light compared with the last one you made.
ˌ work-life ˈ balance noun [ S or U ]
the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy
It can be difficult to get the right work-life balance.
cf. , cf formal
used in writing when you want the reader to make a comparison between the subject being discussed and something else
balance sth against sth phrasal verb
to compare the advantages and disadvantages of something
The ecological effects of the factory need to be balanced against the employment it generates.
liken sb/sth to sb/sth phrasal verb [ often passive ]
to say that someone is similar to or has the same qualities as someone else
She's been likened to a young Elizabeth Taylor.
measure sb/sth against sb/sth phrasal verb
to judge someone or something by comparing them against someone or something else
She measured the shoe against the footprint, but it was smaller.
set sth against sth phrasal verb COMPARE
1. to consider something in relation to another thing and compare their different qualities or effects
You have to set the advantages of the scheme against the disadvantages.
stack up phrasal verb mainly US informal
to compare with another thing of a similar type
The new model of this car just doesn't stack up against previous models (= is not as good as previous models) .
comparative comfort/freedom/silence
a situation which is comfortable, free, silent, etc. when compared to another situation or what is normal
I enjoyed the comparative calm of his flat after the busy office.
next to
b. used to mean `after' when making a choice or a comparison
I'd say cheese is my favourite food and, next to that, chocolate (= Cheese is the only food that I like more than chocolate) .
put sth in(to) perspective
to compare something to other things so that it can be accurately and fairly judged
Total investments for this year reached £53 million, and, to put this into perspective, investments this year were double those made in 2001.
relatively good/bad/etc.
quite good/bad/etc. in comparison with other similar things or with what you expect
He's a relatively good squash player.
There was relatively little violence.
relatively speaking
said when you are judging one thing in comparison with other things
Relatively speaking, it's a fairly poor country.
put sb/sth to shame
to make someone or something seem not good by comparison
Your cooking puts mine to shame.
as against
compared to
He earns $80 000 a year, as against my $40 000.
beyond compare literary
Something that is beyond compare is so great that nothing can be compared to it
Her beauty is beyond compare.
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