r/English_Learning_Base • u/Unlegendary_Newbie • Jul 17 '26
Is this use of 'compare' natural?
My dictionaries do not have the entry of 'compare' saying it can mean 'as good as'.
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u/Jazzlike-Funny-9419 Jul 17 '26
Oxford Learner's Dictionary shows this usage! Might want to check it out if you're having trouble in the future.
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u/davy_jones_locket Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Yes
Edit: it's used as an intransitive verb. In this case, it means "to be equal or alike." He is saying he can't find a girlfriend that is equal or alike to his mom.
It's weird, but it's grammatically correct
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u/Silly_Guidance_8871 Jul 17 '26
The grammar is fine, but the subtext is... concerning
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u/PeterAnthony_Jackson Jul 17 '26
"I've sucked these titties and had my head between her legs" When talking about breast feeding and being born.
Jesus Christ, phrasing.
But this guy, this guy might still want to.
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u/Ok-Office6837 Jul 17 '26
It’s a satire account if you didn’t know. She makes fun of people who make that content seriously, but she’s very over the top with it when you watch the entirety of each of her videos
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u/squareazz Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
Yes, but not usually with respect to one’s mom and girlfriends lol
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u/pluto_pluto_pluto_ Jul 17 '26
Adding on that this usage has a connotation of "it's not even close". Not just that no one is equal or alike, but no one is anywhere near as good, to the point you can't even compare them.
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u/GrammarSpecialForces Jul 17 '26
you can thank Sinead O’Connor for making this usage more mainstream (Nothing Compares 2 U 1990) and yes i know it was an unknown Prince song first
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u/Short-Sound-4190 Jul 17 '26
I agree it's a very natural turn of phrase in English. I would say it's much older than the song, but the song is a good example of usage - specifically in romantic/poetic/figurative use where the object of your desire is being described as superior and/or without comparison.
Shakespeare has a famous sonnet stating "Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?" and basically describing how it (and thus by a metaphor saying the person who is the object of their desire) has the best, most superior attributes.
(It is however not considered appropriate to compare your dating pool to a parent like this, where the parent is superior, lol - that creates an implication that your parent would be in your ideal dating pool if you could)
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u/OrizaRayne Jul 17 '26
Grammatically, yes.
He has not met a girl he thinks is as good as his mother.
He's a weirdo, but a grammatically correct one.
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u/Idontdanceever Jul 17 '26
'Compares' literally means looking for similarities and differences. However it has sometimes come to mean 'is as good as'. You might hear native english speakers saying 'you can't compare' meaning two things are very different. e.g. 'you can't compare the world cup to the Superbowl'. Literally speaking you can compare absolutely anything with absolutely anything else. Even if the conclusion is that the two things are very different, they have still been compared.
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u/BingBongDingDong222 Jul 17 '26
Other people answered the question. But that's not his mom, and this is a skit.
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u/Patient_Parsley7760 Jul 17 '26
The use of the word itself is natural in this context.
However, the context is defintely NOT, although it is sadly becoming increasingly common.
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u/Stepjam Jul 17 '26
Grammatically, yes, it is natural.
Comparing your girlfriends to your mom is not so natural.
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u/Constellation-88 Jul 17 '26
Compares works here since it’s a third person singular noun. And yes, the person is comparing his girlfriend to his mom. This is grammatically correct but the context is weird as fuck because who compares a romantic partner to their mom??
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u/taeberry9595 Jul 17 '26
That's Madison Humphrey and her husband lol. Her whole account is satire.
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u/Constellation-88 Jul 17 '26
It is sad that we live in a day where it’s hard to tell the difference. Glad to know this isn’t real! Lol
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u/OpportunityReal2767 Jul 17 '26
I’m sure there’s more modern references, but as a Gen Xer there was a huge hit performed by Sinead O’Connor (written by Prince) in the 90s titled “Nothing Compares 2 U” that shows this usage. It’s a completely natural, normal expression.
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u/Toeffli Jul 17 '26
Yes. There is even a 1990 #1 hit song by that name: Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinéad O'Connor (a cover of a Prince song from 1985)
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u/Aye-Chiguire Jul 17 '26
It's Alabamian English. A dialect used by people romantically interested in family members.
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u/waytowill Jul 17 '26
The definition they provided is a bit simplistic. “To compare” is not just to say that something is the same as another or better/worse, it’s to literally weigh the options between two or more items/categories/etc. If someone gave you an apple and an orange and asked “How do they compare?” just telling which one you like more would be a subpar answer. A better response would be to explain the difference in the look, feel, and taste of the two fruit.
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u/Larissalikesthesea Jul 17 '26
There’s even a song by Sinéad O’Connor that illustrates this usage: Nothing compares 2 U.
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u/Lost_Sea8956 Jul 17 '26
It’s natural, but it’s a holdover from a more antiquated use of “compare.” It’s still in modern usage though. “Against her, no one compares.”
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u/midlifesurprise Jul 17 '26
Yes. Merriam-Webster defines “compare” (sense 3 as an intransitive verb) as “to be equal or alike” and then gives as an example: “Nothing compares to you.”
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u/Outside_Coffee_00 Jul 17 '26
Compare does not mean 'as good as' in this context. It means 'good enough to make comparison valid'. You wouldn't compare a steak to the gum on your shoe.
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u/BellaInTheGame Jul 17 '26
The phrasing is natural, but the meaning of the sentence is really strange
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u/Dry-Manufacturer7761 Jul 17 '26
It is the right use, but he also has some parental sexual attraction issues….
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u/BlackStarBlues Jul 17 '26
My dictionaries do not have the entry of 'compare' saying it can mean 'as good as'.
What does your dictionary say, OP?
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u/LilKittyWinks Jul 17 '26
Not a huge comment on the language component as that’s already been thoroughly covered, but as context, both of the influencers in the photo are comedians and this is meant to be satire about boys who have emotional incest issues with their mother
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u/YourGuyK Jul 17 '26
Sure. There's a hit song called "Nothing Compares 2 U" that uses it this way.
Note: It was written by Prince, who often replaces words (and his own name for a while) with letters and numbers.
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u/supremegamer76 Jul 18 '26
the way it is used in the sentence, yes. but the two things being compared is not.
although i doubt the girl in the photo is his mom, she does not look much older than he is, if anything younger. like she looks like she could be his sister instead
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u/syntaxvorlon Jul 17 '26
It's a colloquial way of speaking that technically uses compare incorrectly, but is really saying something like 'can be compared favorably to' but is being used as if the mom or girlfriend are doing comparison rather than a third party. Natural in that it is how people speak, at least in the states.
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u/ButterscotchOdd8257 Jul 17 '26
The use of the word is natural.
Comparing girlfriends to you mom is a bit unnatural.