degree of comparison

degree of comparison (plural degrees of comparison)

1. (linguistics, grammar) A form of an adjective that indicates a different degree of the attribute the adjective denotes; the positive, comparative and superlative forms.

   The degrees of comparison of good are good (positive), better (comparative) and best (superlative).

   • 1820, James Brown, An American Grammar‎, page 43:

     The word red is an adjective, in the dogmatical or positive degree of comparison.

   • 1833, Joseph Hervey Hull, English Grammar, by Lectures‎, page 55:

     There are commonly reckoned three degrees of comparison, namely: the positive, comparative and superlative; though, strictly speaking, there are but two degrees, the positive being merely the state of the adjective itself.

   • 1851, Goold Brown, Samuel U. Berrian (editor), The Grammar of English Grammars, 10th Edition, page 285,

     Among the degrees of comparison, some have enumerated equality; as when we say, "It is as sweet as honey."

   • 2007, Rodney J. Decker, Koine Greek Reader: Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers‎, page 205:

     The degrees of comparison possible are: positive (big), comparative (bigger), superlative (biggest), and elative (very big).

• degree

• positive
• elative
• comparative
• superlative
• comparative superlative
• relative superlative