comprehensive

Borrowed from late Middle French compréhensif, from Late Latin comprehensivus, from Latin comprehendo.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌkɒm.pɹɪˈhɛn.sɪv/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌkɑːm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/

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• Hyphenation: com‧pre‧hen‧sive

comprehensive (comparative more comprehensive, superlative most comprehensive)

1. Broadly or completely covering; including a large proportion of something.

   When there are diametrically opposing views on a big issue that concerns millions of people, doing comprehensive research just makes sense.

• (broadly or completely covering): exhaustive, thorough, all-encompassing

• comprehensively
• comprehensivization
• comprehensivize

• comprehend
• comprehensible
• comprehension

comprehensive (plural comprehensives)

1. (Britain) A comprehensive school.
   • 2013 July 19, Peter Wilby, “Finland spreads word on schools”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 30:

     Imagine a country where children do nothing but play until they start compulsory schooling at age seven. Then, without exception, they attend comprehensives until the age of 16. Charging school fees is illegal, and so is sorting pupils into ability groups by streaming or setting.

comprehensīve

1. vocative masculine singular of comprehensīvus