absolute comparative

noun

The use of a comparative to indicate a relatively high degree of some quality, without explicitly making a comparison, as in "higher education".

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Meanings

nounabsolute comparative (plural absolute comparatives)

plural absolute comparatives

  1. grammarThe use of a comparative to indicate a relatively high degree of some quality, without explicitly making a comparison, as in "higher education".

    In a large number of languages (Tok Pisin among them), however, absolute positives may function as absolute comparatives. Considerations such as these are needed to understand Tok Pisin degrees of comparison.

    1995, John W. M. Verhaar, Toward a Reference Grammar of Tok Pisin, page 255
Cite this entry
APA

absolute comparative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absolute%20comparative

MLA

“absolute comparative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absolute%20comparative. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “absolute comparative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/absolute%20comparative.

Source: absolute comparative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.