Incomparabilis

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having no equal or rival, signifying something that stands alone in excellence or quality
2. Describing a state of being unmatched or unparalleled in comparison with others
3. Characterizing an entity that defies comparison due to its unique attributes or features

Etymology: "Incomparabilis" is Latin, built from "in-" meaning "not" and "comparabilis," from "comparare," "to compare," which itself derives from "par," "equal." So the word literally means "not able to be compared," a sense that carries straight into its English descendant, "incomparable," meaning without equal. The Latin adjective was used in classical and later Latin writing for things that surpass or cannot be matched, and English took the idea through French, where the form "incomparable" was in common use. The English adjective and its meaning of matchless or unrivalled came over this route, and the word's core sense has stayed fixed since: something so superior that nothing stands beside it for comparison. Because "compare" and "par" share the same base, "incomparable" sits in the same family as "comparable," "parity," and "par," which hints at the old idea that matching things are, quite literally, equals.

Synonyms: incomparable, unequaled, unparalleled, matchless, peerless

Antonyms: comparable, ordinary, common