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Introduction to Comparative Adjectives

Adjectives can have different grades of meanings. For example, the adjective "warm" expresses the quality that some other noun word say, water, may possess. By changing the suffix of the adjective "warm" we can set up two higher grades of comparison: warmer and warmest.   This relationship is called the degree of comparison of an adjective. The first level, "warm" is called positive; the second level, "warmer" is called comparative, and the third level, "warmest" is called superlative.  The key words to remember, therefore, are: positive, comparative and superlative. 

In English we use the suffix -er to form the comparative adjective (e.g. small-smaller, tall-taller, cold-colder, etc.), and the suffix -est to form the superlative adjective (e.g., small-smallest, tall-tallest, cold-coldest, etc).  We can also use the word "more" to form a comparative (of majority) and "most" to form a superlative (e.g., expensive-more expensive-most expensive). Likewise, we can use the word "less" before a noun to form a comparative of minority, and "least" the superlative (e.g.: cold-less cold-least cold).  Other rules cover the case when an adjective ends with the vowel "e" then only the "r", instead of "er" is added: e.g. nice-nicer, safe-safer.   Another case is when an adjective ends in a consonant, then the comparative form doubles the consonant such as in: big-bigger-biggest, hot-hotter-hottest.

This brief introduction shows that, grammatically speaking, comparative adjectives can be grouped into three different types and superlative adjectives into two different groups.   The added complication in Latin is the declension of the cases.

Comparative Adjective 

Canonically speaking a comparative adjective can be of three types:

1. Majority : suffix -ior for masculine and feminine, and -ius for neutral.
2. Minority : preceded by minus (adv.)
3. Equality : tam...quam; ita...ut; sic...ut; as much as
   

Comparison of Majority:   fortior (from: fortis = strong)

 

Fortis is the positive adjective.

To form the comparative, take the base of the word by taking the ending of the gen. sing. off (-is) and replace it with the suffix -ior, to form fortior in the nom. case m. & f., and fortius in the nom. case n. The rest of the cases follow the 2nd Declension paradigm.

 Click here for a full declension example

Comparison of Minority:   minus fortis - minus fortis quam

A minority comparison such as "less than" is expressed using the adverb minus in front of the positive adjective.

For example: minus fortis means "less strong." 
  

Normally, the expression begs the questions: less strong than...; in this case you would translate using the other form: minus fortis quam; often, after a comparative adjective or adverb, quam is used in the sense of than.

Note: if you use the form minus...quam then the case of the noun following quam is the same as that of the first noun preceding minus.  But if you use the form minus + positive adjective, without the quam, than the form of the following noun is in the ablative. See the example below:

• Agnus est minus fortis quam lupus
• Agnus est minus fortis lupo

Comparison of Equality: tam...quam; ita...ut; sic...ut

The comparison of equality is formed by inserting the positive adjective in between one of the correlative expressions shown above.

For example:

• Livia est tam pulchra quam Agrippina; Livia is as beautiful as Agrippina.
• Livia est ita pulchra ut Agrippina
• Livia est sic pulchra ut Agrippina
  

Superlative Adjectives 

Latin superlative adjectives can be of two types:
 

1. Superlative of Majority
2. Superlative of Minority.

Superlative of Majority: add suffix -issimus to positive adjective. 

To form the superlative of fortis (positive) take the base of the word by taking the ending of the gen. sing. off and replace it with the suffix -issimus, to form fortissimus in the nom. m. case. The rest of the cases follow the 1st Declension paradigm.

Superlative of Minority: there is no canonical form as for the majority case. It uses a phrasal expression consisting of the adverb minime placed in front of the positive adjective.  For example: minime fortis omnium = the least strong of all; the weakest of all.

An alternative form is to use the superlative adjective of minority but of opposite meaning.  For example: infirmissimus omnium = the weakest of all.

Infirmis = adj. 2 Cl., positive; meaning: weak.  The superlative becomes infirmissimus = weakest.

Special cases of comparative and superlatives are listed in the Reference page.

Irregular Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

Thus far we have dealt with regular comparative and superlative adjectives. There exist a number of irregular, i.e. they have their own unique form, comparatives and superlatives. The most common are shown in the following table.