COMPREHENSIVE | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary

comprehensive

adjective

uk /ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/ us /ˌkɑːm.prəˈhen.sɪv/

comprehensive adjective (COMPLETE)

C1

complete and including everything that is necessary:

We offer you a comprehensive training in all aspects of the business.

Is this list comprehensive or are there some names missing?

He has written a fully comprehensive guide to Rome.

Comprehensive insurance gives financial protection against most risks, for example including damage to a driver's own vehicle as well as to other vehicles:

It is a common misconception that car hire insurance is comprehensive.

The trend is towards less comprehensive health insurance.

See also

fully comprehensive

More examples

• The two governments have agreed to engage in a comprehensive dialogue to resolve the problem.
• If you are a young, inexperienced driver, it is worth having comprehensive insurance.
• The book gives a comprehensive account of the English Civil War.
• This is a comprehensive guide to the birds of the British Isles.
• We gave the house a comprehensive spring clean.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

 

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comprehensive adjective (EDUCATION)

used in the UK to describe a school or type of education for children of all abilities above the age of eleven, paid for by the state:

Is the school selective or comprehensive?

a comprehensive education

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

comprehensive

noun [ C ]

uk /ˌkɒm.prɪˈhen.sɪv/ us/ˌkɑːm.prəˈhen.sɪv/

in the UK, a school for children of all abilities above the age of eleven, that is paid for by the state:

They went to the local comprehensive.