What Is a Comparative Adjective? | Definition & Examples

A comparative adjective indicates a higher or lower degree of a specific attribute (e.g., “faster,” “less trusted”) in a comparison of two nouns, including people, places, objects, or groups.

Most comparative adjectives are created either by adding the suffix “-er” (e.g., “younger”) or by adding “more” (e.g., “more famous”) or “less” (e.g., “less popular”) before the base form of the adjective. The form each comparative adjective takes is determined in part by the number of syllables in the original adjective.

What is a comparative adjective?

A comparative adjective characterizes a noun or pronoun as possessing a specific attribute to a greater or lesser extent compared to another noun or pronoun.

All comparative adjectives involve comparisons, whether implied (e.g., “Yesterday’s coffee was better”) or stated explicitly (e.g., “Robert is shorter than Jim”).

How are comparative adjectives formed?

Most comparative adjectives are constructed following straightforward patterns based on syllable count. There are also irregular adjectives that defy any specific pattern.

In most cases, one-syllable adjectives can be changed to the comparative form by appending the suffix “-er,” but there are a few exceptions (e.g., “fun” turns into “more fun,” not “funner”).

For adjectives with three or more syllables, simply insert “more” or “less” before the base adjective.

Two-syllable adjectives are a bit more complicated. Many form the comparative by inserting “more” or “less” before the base adjective, just like adjectives with three or more syllables. However, there are a number of exceptions. For instance, if the adjective ends in “-y” (happy -> happier) or “-ow” (narrow -> narrower), the comparative form is created by adding “-er.”

Some two-syllable adjectives use both forms, but typically one is more commonly accepted than the other.

Adjectives that are formed by adding “-er” sometimes require slight spelling modifications depending on the form or spelling of the base adjective. For instance, if an adjective ends with an “-e,” the comparative is formed by simply adding “-r” instead of “-er.”

And for most adjectives ending in “-y,” the “y” must be changed to “i” in addition to adding “-er.” Finally, for adjectives that end in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, it’s standard to double the final consonant and add “-er” to form the comparative.

Irregular comparative adjectives

Irregular comparative adjectives deviate from the standard patterns of forming comparatives, which involve adding the “-er” suffix or using “more” or “less” before the base form of the adjective.

How are comparative adjectives used in sentences?

Sentences that include comparative adjectives often follow a specific structure: noun/pronoun + verb + “more”/“less” + adjective + “than” + noun/pronoun (e.g., “Terence is more excited than John”).

In sentences that don’t use “more” or “less,” a comparative adjective ending in “-er” is used instead of the base form (e.g., “Your car is nicer than mine”).

A sentence may also take a much simpler form, such as the following pattern: noun/pronoun + verb + comparative adjective (e.g., “He is friendlier”). In these instances, the comparison is implied rather than explicit.

Comparative and superlative adjectives

The comparative and superlative degrees differ in scope, though both are used to make comparisons. Comparative adjectives are typically used to compare two nouns or pronouns. Superlative adjectives compare one person, thing, or group to multiple others and indicate that the thing being compared is of the highest or lowest degree.

Frequently asked questions about comparative adjectives

What is the comparative form of the adjective good?

The comparative form of the adjective “good” is “better” (e.g., “The second draft of the essay was better than the first”). “Better” is an irregular comparative adjective that doesn’t follow the usual rules (i.e., it doesn’t end in “-er” or include the words “more” or “less”).

The superlative form of good is best.

What is the comparative form of the adjective bad?

The comparative form of the adjective “bad” is “worse” (e.g., “His performance in the second round was worse than in the first”). “Worse” is an irregular comparative adjective that doesn’t follow the usual rules (i.e., it doesn’t end in “-er” or include the words “more” or “less”).

The comparative adjective “worse” is not to be confused with the superlative adjective “worst” (e.g., “He was the worst player on the team”).

What is the comparative form of the adjective clean?

The comparative form of the adjective “clean” is “cleaner” (e.g., “The kitchen looked so much cleaner after a thorough scrubbing”).

The superlative form of “clean” is “cleanest” (e.g., “This is the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen”).

What is the comparative form of the adjective lively?

The comparative form of the adjective “lively” is “livelier” (e.g., “The party became livelier as more guests arrived”).

The superlative form of “lively” is “liveliest” (e.g., “This is the liveliest bar in town”).