Comprehensive \Com`pre*hen"sive\, a. [Cf. F. compr['e]hensif.]
   1. Including much; comprising many things; having a wide
      scope or a full view.
      [1913 Webster]

            A very comprehensive definition.      --Bentley.
      [1913 Webster]

            Large and comprehensive idea.         --Channing.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Having the power to comprehend or understand many things.
      "His comprehensive head." --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Zool.) Possessing peculiarities that are characteristic
      of several diverse groups.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: The term is applied chiefly to early fossil groups
         which have a combination of structures that appear in
         more fully developed or specialized forms in later
         groups. Synthetic, as used by Agassiz, is nearly
         synonymous.

   Syn: Extensive; wide; large; full; compendious.
        [1913 Webster]

	

	comprehensive
    adj 1: including all or everything; "comprehensive coverage"; "a
           comprehensive history of the revolution"; "a
           comprehensive survey"; "a comprehensive education" [ant:
           incomprehensive, noncomprehensive]
    2: broad in scope; "a comprehensive survey of world affairs"
    n 1: an intensive examination testing a student's proficiency in
         some special field of knowledge; "she took her comps in
         English literature" [syn: comprehensive examination,
         comprehensive, comp]

	

	107 Moby Thesaurus words for "comprehensive":
   absolute, across-the-board, aggregate, all, all-comprehensive,
   all-embracing, all-encompassing, all-inclusive, all-out,
   all-pervading, ample, blanket, born, broad, broad-based, capacious,
   clean, clear, coincident, compact, compendious, complete,
   concurrent, congenital, conjoint, conjugate, conjunct,
   consequential, considerable, consummate, copious, corporate, deep,
   deep-dyed, downright, dyed-in-the-wool, egregious, encompassing,
   encyclopedic, entire, exhaustive, expansive, extensive, full,
   generous, global, grand, grave, great, gross, heavy, holistic,
   inclusive, integral, integrated, intense, intensive, irresistible,
   joined, joint, main, maximum, mighty, omnibus, omnipresent, one,
   one and indivisible, out-and-out, outright, over-all, overall,
   panoramic, perfect, pervasive, plain, plenary, plumb, powerful,
   pure, radical, regular, serious, sheer, spacious, straight, strong,
   sweeping, synoptic, thorough, thoroughgoing, through-and-through,
   total, ubiquitous, unconditional, universal, unmitigated,
   unqualified, unreserved, unrestricted, utter, veritable,
   voluminous, whole, wholesale, wide, without exception,
   without omission

	

	COMPREHENSIVE

   An early system on MIT's Whirlwind.

   [Listed in CACM 2(5):16, May 1959].

   (2002-06-03)