1
Permit evaluation
Share enough features for a meaningful comparison.
Example
The two samples must be comparable in age and size.
be comparable to
/bi ˈkɒmpərəbəl tuː/ · bee KOM-puh-ruh-buhl toocomparison phrase
Be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
Use be comparable to to signal this exact relationship between ideas: be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
What be comparable to Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Express similar magnitude
Approach the same level or scale.
Example
The new material’s strength may be comparable to steel.
3
Reject false equivalence
Require a relevant common basis before comparing.
Example
Urban and rural costs are not directly comparable.
Use be comparable to Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The two samples must be comparable in age and size.
The new material’s strength may be comparable to steel.
Urban and rural costs are not directly comparable.
Precision Matters
Be comparable to overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
be comparable to
vs.Signals be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
be analogous to
Means be similar in relevant structure or function, without being identical.
be comparable to
vs.Signals be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
be correlated with
Means vary in a systematic relationship with another measured variable.
be comparable to
vs.Signals be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
equivalent
Means equal in value, function, or meaning.
be comparable to
vs.Signals be sufficiently similar in relevant respects to permit comparison.
disparate
Means fundamentally different from one another.
Test be comparable to in Context
The two costs become sufficiently similar in basis and scale for comparison.
1
After adjusting for inflation, the earlier project’s cost may ___ that of the current proposal.