compared to; compared with; in comparison with
Please tell me is there the principal difference in usage between these combinations (e.g. to describe graphs)?
compared to
compared with
in comparison with
Thanks,
Lola
Lola
New member
1 answer 
Compare to and compare with are both correct usages, but they have slightly different meanings. What you intend to say will determine which you should use.
Compare with = "to place side by side, noting the differences and similarities between."
Compare to = "to observe or point only to likenesses between."
Garner's Modern Americn Usage (3rd edition, 2009, Oxford University Press) offers these examples to illustrate the difference:
"Let us compare his goals with his actual achievements."
"He compared her eyes to limpid pools."
In comparison with and in comparison to have a similar difference in meaning.
I hope this helps.
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answered Dec 02 '12 at 15:18
Jeff Pribyl
Grammarly Fellow
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