absolute comparative

English

Noun

absolute comparative (plural absolute comparatives)

1. (grammar) The use of a comparative to indicate a relatively high degree of some quality, without explicitly making a comparison, as in "higher education".
   • 1995, John W. M. Verhaar, Toward a Reference Grammar of Tok Pisin, page 255:

     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.

Related terms

• absolute superlative