superlative (adj./n.)

A term used in the three-way GRAMMATICAL description of ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS into DEGREES, specifying the extent of their application. The superlative form is used to express a comparison between more than two entities, and contrasts with COMPARATIVE, where only two entities are involved, and POSITIVE, where no comparison is implied. In English there is both an INFLECTION (-est) and a PERIPHRASTIC construction (most) to express this notion (e.g. biggest, most interesting).