Standard Lemma guide

comprehensive

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌkɒm.pɹɪˈhɛn.sɪv/
  • General-American: /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA2 M P R IY0 HH EH1 N S IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Broadly or completely covering; including a large proportion of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • When there are diametrically opposing views on a big issue that concerns millions of people, doing comprehensive research just makes sense.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A comprehensive school.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

including all or everything

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • comprehensive coverage
  • a comprehensive history of the revolution
  • a comprehensive survey
  • a comprehensive education

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: noncomprehensive

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

broad in scope

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a comprehensive survey of world affairs

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an intensive examination testing a student's proficiency in some special field of knowledge

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she took her comps in English literature

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: comprehensive examination, comp

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: examination, exam, test

History

Etymology

Borrowed from late Middle French compréhensif, from Late Latin comprehēnsīvus, from Latin comprehendō.

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَامِل (šāmil) — broadly or completely covering
  • Arabic: شَامِلَة (šāmila) — broadly or completely covering
  • Armenian: սպառիչ (spaṙičʻ) — broadly or completely covering
  • Armenian: համապարփակ (hamaparpʻak) — broadly or completely covering
  • Bulgarian: обши́рен (obšíren) — broadly or completely covering
  • Bulgarian: подро́бен (podróben) — broadly or completely covering
  • Bulgarian: обсто́ен (obstóen) — broadly or completely covering
  • Bulgarian: ця́лостен (cjálosten) — broadly or completely covering
  • Chinese Mandarin: 全面的 (quánmiàn de) — broadly or completely covering
  • Chinese Mandarin: 綜合的 /综合的 (zōnghé de) — broadly or completely covering
  • Czech: obsáhlý — broadly or completely covering
  • Czech: komplexní — broadly or completely covering
  • Czech: zevrubný — broadly or completely covering
  • Danish: fyldestgørende — broadly or completely covering
  • Danish: omfattende — broadly or completely covering
  • Dutch: omvattend — broadly or completely covering
  • Dutch: alomvattend — broadly or completely covering
  • Dutch: uitgebreid — broadly or completely covering
  • Dutch: diepgaand — broadly or completely covering
  • Esperanto: ampleksa — broadly or completely covering
  • Esperanto: kompleksa — broadly or completely covering
  • Faroese: umfatandi — broadly or completely covering
  • Finnish: laaja — broadly or completely covering
  • Finnish: kattava — broadly or completely covering
  • French: complet — broadly or completely covering
  • French: exhaustif — broadly or completely covering
  • Galician: completo — broadly or completely covering
  • Georgian: სრული (sruli) — broadly or completely covering
  • Georgian: ყოვლისმომცველი (q̇ovlismomcveli) — broadly or completely covering
  • German: umfassend — broadly or completely covering
  • German: umfangreich — broadly or completely covering
  • Hindi: विस्तृत (vistŕt) — broadly or completely covering
  • Hindi: व्यापक (vyāpak) — broadly or completely covering
  • Hungarian: átfogó — broadly or completely covering
  • Hungarian: komprehenzív — broadly or completely covering
  • Indonesian: komprehensif — broadly or completely covering
  • Italian: esaustivo — broadly or completely covering
  • Italian: completo — broadly or completely covering
  • Italian: complessivo — broadly or completely covering
  • Japanese: 包括的な (hōkatuteki-na) — broadly or completely covering
  • Korean: 포괄적인 (pogwaljeogin) — broadly or completely covering
  • Norwegian: grundig — broadly or completely covering
  • Norwegian: omfattende — broadly or completely covering
  • Polish: wszechstronny — broadly or completely covering
  • Polish: kompleksowy — broadly or completely covering
  • Polish: obszerny — broadly or completely covering
  • Portuguese: abrangente — broadly or completely covering
  • Romanian: cuprinzător — broadly or completely covering
  • Romanian: multilateral — broadly or completely covering
  • Russian: всесторо́нний (vsestorónnij) — broadly or completely covering
  • Russian: по́лный (pólnyj) — broadly or completely covering
  • Russian: всеобъе́млющий (vseobʺjémljuščij) — broadly or completely covering
  • Russian: исче́рпывающий (isčérpyvajuščij) — broadly or completely covering
  • Russian: всеохва́тный (vseoxvátnyj) — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: опсежан — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: обухватан — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: исцрпан — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: свеобухватан — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: opsežan — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: obuhvatan — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: iscrpan — broadly or completely covering
  • Serbo-Croatian: sveobuhvatan — broadly or completely covering
  • Slovak: vyčerpávajúci — broadly or completely covering
  • Slovak: podrobný — broadly or completely covering
  • Slovak: obsiahly — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: abarcativo — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: abarcador — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: englobante — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: completo — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: exhaustivo — broadly or completely covering
  • Spanish: comprensivo — broadly or completely covering
  • Swedish: omfattande — broadly or completely covering
  • Swedish: uttömmande — broadly or completely covering
  • Tamil: விசாலமான (vicālamāṉa) — broadly or completely covering
  • Thai: รอบด้าน — broadly or completely covering
  • Turkish: şamil — broadly or completely covering
  • Turkish: kapsayici — broadly or completely covering
  • Turkish: kapsamlı — broadly or completely covering
  • Turkish: şümullü — broadly or completely covering
  • Ukrainian: всебі́чний (vsebíčnyj) — broadly or completely covering
  • Ukrainian: всеося́жний (vseosjážnyj) — broadly or completely covering
  • Ukrainian: по́вний (póvnyj) — broadly or completely covering
  • Ukrainian: виче́рпний (vyčérpnyj) — broadly or completely covering
Real reading context

comprehensive in complete knowledge articles