優ゆう劣れつ

ゆ

う

れ

つ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

relative merits; superiority or inferiority; quality

Used when comparing two or more things to determine which is better or worse. Often appears in phrases like 優劣をつける (to rank) or 優劣を競う (to compete for superiority).

両りょう者しゃの作さく品ひんに優ゆう劣れつをつけるのは難むずかしい。
It is difficult to rank the two works.
この試し験けんでは、学がく生せいの優ゆう劣れつがはっきりと分わかれた。
In this exam, the students' relative merits were clearly divided.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉と〈人ひと〉の優ゆう劣れつを競きそうto compete to see who/which is better
二人ふたりの選せん手しゅが優ゆう劣れつを競きそっている。
The two athletes are competing to see who is better.
優ゆう劣れつがないthere is no difference in quality between them
この二ふたつの案あんには優ゆう劣れつがない。
There's no real difference in quality between these two proposals.
優ゆう劣れつを判はん定ていするto judge which is superior
審しん査さ員いんが優ゆう劣れつを判はん定ていした。
The judges determined which one was better.

Expressions

優ゆう劣れつの法ほう則そくlaw of dominance
優ゆう劣れつをつけるrank; discriminate between; put one above the other
優ゆう劣れつつけがたいhard to choose between; equally matched; of comparable quality

Kanji

優tenderness, excel, surpass
劣inferiority, be inferior to, be worse

Related words

甲こう乙おつ
甲乙 literally means 'A and B' and is a more formal way to indicate ranking or difference in quality, while 優劣 is the everyday term for comparing which is better or worse.
差さN3
差 is a general word for a 'difference' between things, while 優劣 specifically means which one is superior or inferior.
巧こう拙せつ
巧拙 specifically compares skill or technique in execution, while 優劣 is a broader term for superiority or inferiority in any respect.

Don't confuse with

優ゆう越えつN1
優越 describes one-sided superiority (e.g. a feeling of being better than others), while 優劣 is about comparing two or more things to judge which is better or worse.

Etymology

Compound of 優 (superior) and 劣 (inferior). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination directly conveys the meaning of relative quality.