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.
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