commensurable
/kəˈmen.ʃə.rə.bəl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəˈmen.sjɚ.ə.bəl/ (ame, ipa) · /kə-ˈmen(t)s-rə-bəl -ˈmen(t)sh-; -ˈmen(t)-sə- -shə-/ (ame, mw)
commensurable — adjective
- commensurablepositive
- more commensurablecomparative
- most commensurablesuperlative
1. when two things can be evaluated or measured using the same standard, so a meani
when two things can be evaluated or measured using the same standard, so a meaningful comparison between them is possible
Jiyeon found the two job offers were not commensurable — one promised flexible hours, the other offered much higher pay.
negative pattern: not commensurable for unlike things
Dr. Okafor argued that student happiness and exam results are not commensurable measures of a school's success.
Dr. Nkosi judged the two fellowship applications not commensurable — one stressed fieldwork in rural clinics, the other published research.
Hadi insisted that the risks of the new drug were not commensurable with its modest benefits.
Before launching the trial, Keiko confirmed the two patient groups were commensurable in age, weight, and blood pressure.
- comparable
more common and less formal; does not imply a shared measuring standard
- commensurate
means proportional or matching in degree, not measurable by the same yardstick
- equivalent
means equal in value or function, which is stronger than merely sharing a standard of measurement
- incommensurable
direct opposite — impossible to measure or compare by a common standard
文法句型
not commensurable
commensurable with
commensurable in
用法筆記
Nearly always used in negative constructions (not commensurable) to deny that a fair comparison can be made. Distinguish from sense 2, which is a technical term used only in mathematics.
常見錯誤
2. in mathematics, describes two or more numbers, lengths, or quantities that share
in mathematics, describes two or more numbers, lengths, or quantities that share a common unit which divides each of them exactly, leaving no remainder
Wei explained that 12 and 18 are commensurable because both can be divided evenly by 6.
commensurable because + shared divisor
The ancient Greeks discovered that the diagonal of a square is not commensurable with its side.
historical usage: not commensurable with in geometry
Idris showed that 9 cm and 12 cm are commensurable: a 3 cm piece divides both exactly.
Fatima's maths teacher showed the class that 0.75 and 1.25 are commensurable, sharing a common unit of 0.25.
Ms. Chatterjee handed Mei a ruler and asked her to check whether the 18-cm and 24-cm lines were commensurable.
- commensurate
in its rare mathematical sense, also describes quantities that share a unit divisor, but in everyday use means proportional
- incommensurable
describes quantities that share no common unit of measurement (e.g., the side and diagonal of a square)
文法句型
commensurable numbers
commensurable with
用法筆記
Restricted to mathematical and geometrical contexts. Do not confuse with 'commensurate', which describes proportionality in degree or extent rather than a shared divisor.