1
Core quality
Similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
Example
The two surveys produced broadly comparable results.
comparable
/ˈkɒmpərəbəl/ · KOM-puh-ruh-buladjective
Similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
Use comparable to express this relationship precisely: similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
What comparable Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attributive or predicative use
Use this adjective before a suitable noun or after a linking verb such as be or seem.
Example
Prices are not directly comparable because the packages differ in size.
3
Analytical distinction
Choose it when this exact descriptive quality matters; a related word may overlap without conveying the same trait.
Example
Researchers selected sites with comparable climates.
Use comparable Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The two surveys produced broadly comparable results.
Prices are not directly comparable because the packages differ in size.
Researchers selected sites with comparable climates.
Precision Matters
Comparable overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
comparable
vs.Means similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
dissimilar
Means not alike in relevant qualities, form, character, or type.
comparable
vs.Means similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
disparate
Means fundamentally different from one another.
comparable
vs.Means similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
incongruous
Means not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings.
comparable
vs.Means similar enough in relevant qualities, scale, or type to allow a meaningful comparison.
analogous
Means similar or comparable in relevant respects, though not necessarily identical.
Test comparable in Context
The studies are similar enough in relevant respects to be meaningfully compared.
1
Because the two studies used identical measures and similar populations, their results are directly ___.