The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs are shown in this dictionary when suffixation brings about a doubling of a final consonant or an elision of a final -e or a change of final -y to -i-, when the word ends in -ey, when the inflection is irregular, and when there are variant inflected forms:
Main Entry: ¹red
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): red.der; red.destMain Entry: ¹tame
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): tam.er; tam.estMain Entry: ¹kind.ly
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): kind.li.er; -estMain Entry: ¹ear.ly
Function: adverb
Inflected Form(s): ear.li.er; -estMain Entry: dic.ey
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): dic.i.er; -estMain Entry: ¹good
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): bet.ter . . . ; bestMain Entry: ¹bad
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): worse . . . ; worstMain Entry: ¹far
Function: adverb
Inflected Form(s): far.ther . . . or fur.ther . . . ; far.thest or fur.thest
The superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllables are usually cut back:
Main Entry: ³fancy
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): fan.ci.er; -estMain Entry: ¹ear.ly
Function: adverb
Inflected Form(s): ear.li.er; -est
The comparative and superlative forms of regularly inflected adjectives and adverbs are shown when it is desirable to indicate the pronunciation of the inflected forms:
Main Entry: ¹young
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): youn.ger \'y&[ng]-g&r\; youn.gest \'y&[ng]-g&st\
The inclusion of inflected forms in -er and -est at adjective and adverb entries means nothing more about the use of more and most with these adjectives and adverbs than that their comparative and superlative degrees may be expressed in either way: lazier or more lazy; laziest or most lazy.
At a few adjective entries only the superlative form is shown:
Main Entry: ³mere
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): superlative mer.est
The absence of the comparative form indicates that there is no evidence of its use.
The comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs are not shown when the base word is unchanged by suffixation or when the word is a compound whose second element is readily recognizable as a regular free form entered at its own place:
Main Entry: ¹near
Function: adverbMain Entry: un.wary
Function: adjective
The comparative and superlative forms of adverbs are not shown when they are identical with the inflected forms of a preceding adjective homograph:
Main Entry: ¹hot
Function: adjective hot.ter; hot.testMain Entry: ²hot
Function: adverb
[Back to top] [Back to Explanatory Notes main page]
[Back to Help main page]