incomparable

/ɪnˈkɒmpərəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈkɑːmpərəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˌ)in-ˈkäm-p(ə-)rə-bəl also ˌin-kəm-ˈpa-rə-, -ˈper-ə-/ (ame, mw)

incomparable — adjective

  • incomparablepositive
  • more incomparablecomparative
  • most incomparablesuperlative

1. describes a person or thing that is so unusually excellent, impressive, or outst

1.形容詞B2
釋義

describes a person or thing that is so unusually excellent, impressive, or outstanding that no other person or thing reaches the same level.

例句

Sunset from the mountain cabin was of incomparable beauty, with golden light spreading across the valley.

incomparable + noun (beauty)

Mei-Lin's skill as a paediatric nurse is incomparable—she has successfully treated over two thousand young patients.

be + incomparable

同義詞
  • unparalleled

    similar in meaning but slightly less emphatic; common in formal and journalistic writing

  • matchless

    very close synonym but slightly old-fashioned; used in literary contexts

  • peerless

    formal, suggests superiority among equals (peers)

  • unequalled

    British-preferred spelling; neutral register, common in reviews and descriptions

反義詞
  • mediocre

    of only average quality, the opposite of outstanding

  • ordinary

    not special or different in any way

文法句型

be + incomparable

incomparable + noun

用法筆記

Often used with abstract nouns such as 'beauty', 'quality', 'skill', 'charm', or 'value'. This is the far more common of the two senses.

常見錯誤

❌This smartphone has incomparable battery life compared to last year's model.
✅This smartphone has unrivalled battery life compared to last year's model.
💡'incomparable' means 'so good nothing else reaches the same level'; it does not simply mean 'better than'.

2. describes two or more items that are so different in kind, category, or nature t

2.形容詞C1
釋義

describes two or more items that are so different in kind, category, or nature that judging which is better, larger, or more important does not make sense.

例句

The court ruled that the two legal cases were incomparable because the circumstances of each were entirely unique.

formal register: legal context

The cost of living in Tokyo and in rural northern Ghana are incomparable—the two economies are structured too differently.

同義詞
  • incommensurable

    formal, academic; specifically describes things measured by different standards

  • dissimilar

    softer; means 'not alike' without the strong implication that comparison is impossible

  • unalike

    less common; neutral, factual

反義詞

文法句型

be + incomparable

find + noun + incomparable

用法筆記

This sense differs from sense 1 in that it does not carry a value judgement of excellence. It simply states that a comparison cannot legitimately be made. Subject is typically a plural noun or a pair of nouns joined by 'and'.

常見錯誤

❌Her voice is incomparable to mine—she is a much better singer.
✅Her voice is incomparable to mine
💡they are in completely different categories.' — The learner intended sense 2 (not comparable), but used the word in a way that could be read as sense 1 (matchless excellence). Use 'cannot be compared' or 'are in different categories' to avoid ambiguity.