High vs. Higher — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 29, 2024
"High" refers to something of a substantial or considerable level, elevation, or intensity, while "higher" is the comparative form indicating something of a greater level or degree.
Difference Between High and Higher
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The term "high" is used to describe something that is elevated or substantial in position, degree, or quality. It can relate to physical heights, levels of intensity, or qualitative measures, such as high standards. Whereas "higher" specifically compares and denotes a greater degree or level than something else, emphasizing a relative increase or improvement.
In the context of physical measurement, "high" might refer to a mountain that is 1,000 meters tall, emphasizing its substantial elevation. On the other hand, when comparing two mountains, if one is 1,500 meters tall, it would be described as "higher" than the first, indicating its superior height.
"High" can also apply to abstract qualities like temperature, where it might describe a high temperature of 35 degrees Celsius on a hot day. Conversely, "higher" would be used to compare two temperatures, suggesting that 38 degrees Celsius is higher, or more intense, than the cooler 35 degrees.
When discussing performance or standards, "high" could be used to describe a school with high academic standards, implying excellence or a high baseline. In comparison, "higher" would be used when discussing two schools, indicating that one has higher standards than the other, thus directly comparing their qualities.
In the grading of products or materials, "high" quality refers to superior characteristics within a standalone context. However, "higher" quality indicates that among two items, one possesses superior features compared to the other.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Substantial or considerable in degree or level
Comparative, indicating greater degree or level
Usage
Absolute measure
Comparative measure
Example Context
High temperature, high quality
Higher temperature than yesterday, higher quality than another product
Relative Comparison
No direct comparison
Implies direct comparison
Focus
Describes a singular item or state
Compares two or more items or states
Compare with Definitions
High
Elevated in position or amount.
The shelf was too high for her to reach.
Higher
Comparatively greater in elevation or level.
The new building is higher than the old one.
High
Great in quantity, size, or intensity.
He always had high hopes for the future.
Higher
More advanced in amount or degree.
His income is higher than last year.
High
Exceeding the normal or average level.
The stakes were high in the championship game.
Higher
More intense or severe.
The risks involved now are higher.
High
Severe or significant in nature.
The city faced high unemployment rates.
Higher
Exceeding in quality or standard.
She achieved higher grades than before.
High
Of a particularly excellent or superior quality.
They produced high quality goods.
Higher
Further advanced in development or complexity.
They are moving to higher forms of technology.
High
Great, or greater than normal, in quantity, size, or intensity
A high temperature
Sweets are very high in calories
Higher
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
High
Of great vertical extent
The top of a high mountain
Higher
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
High
Great in rank, status, or importance
Both held high office under Lloyd George
Financial security is high on your list of priorities
Higher
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
High
(of a sound or note) having a frequency at the upper end of the auditory range
A high, squeaky voice
Higher
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
High
Feeling euphoric, especially from the effects of drugs or alcohol
Some of them were high on Ecstasy
She wasn't tipsy, just a little high
Higher
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
High
(especially of food) unpleasantly strong-smelling because beginning to go bad
It's a type of preserved butter, used for cooking, smells a little high
Higher
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
High
(of a vowel) produced with the tongue relatively near the palate.
Higher
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
High
A high point, level, or figure
Commodity prices were at a rare high
Higher
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
High
A notably happy or successful moment
The highs and lows of life
Higher
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
High
High school
I go to junior high
Higher
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
High
At or to a considerable or specified height
The sculpture stood about five feet high
A dish piled high with baked beans
Higher
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
High
Highly
He ranked high among the pioneers of chemical technology
Higher
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
High
(of a sound) at or to a high pitch
My voice went high with excitement
Higher
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
High
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
Higher
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
High
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
Higher
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
High
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
Higher
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
High
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
Higher
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
High
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
Higher
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
High
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
Higher
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
High
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
Higher
Of great force or violence
High winds.
High
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
Higher
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
High
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
Higher
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
High
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
Higher
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
High
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
Higher
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
High
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
Higher
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
High
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
Higher
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
High
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
Higher
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
High
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
Higher
A lofty place or region.
High
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
Higher
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
Higher
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
Higher
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
Higher
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
Of great force or violence
High winds.
Higher
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
Higher
A national school-leaving examination and university entrance qualification.
High
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
Higher
(transitive) To make higher; to raise or increase in amount or quantity.
High
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
Higher
(intransitive) To ascend.
High
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
Higher
Advanced in complexity or elaboration; as, higher mathematics.
High
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
Higher
Of or pertaining to education beyond the secondary level; as, higher education; higher learning.
High
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
Higher
Advanced in complexity or elaboration;
High finance
Higher mathematics
High
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
Higher
Of education beyond the secondary level;
Higher education
Higher learning
High
A lofty place or region.
High
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
High
Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
The wall was high.
A high mountain
High
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
High
Above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch (or: the ball) was high
High
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
High
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
Three feet high
Three Mount Everests high
High
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.
High
Most exalted; foremost.
The high priest, the high officials of the court, the high altar
High
Of great importance and consequence: grave (if negative) or solemn (if positive).
High crimes, the high festival of the sun
High
Consummate; advanced (e.g. in development) to the utmost extent or culmination, or possessing a quality in its supreme degree, at its zenith.
High (i.e. intense) heat; high (i.e. full or quite) noon; high (i.e. rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i.e. complete) pleasure; high (i.e. deep or vivid) colour; high (i.e. extensive, thorough) scholarship; high tide; high [tourism] season; the High Middle Ages
High
Advanced in complexity (and hence potentially abstract and/or difficult to comprehend).
High
(in several set phrases) Very traditionalist and conservative, especially in favoring older ways of doing things; see e.g. high church, High Tory.
High
Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
In high spirits
High
(of a lifestyle) Luxurious; rich.
High living, the high life
High
Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
A high tone
High
(with "on" or "about") Keen, enthused.
High
With tall waves.
High
Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
High latitude, fish species in high arctic and antarctic areas
High
Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
I was running a high temperature and had high cholesterol.
High voltage
High prices
High winds
A high number
High
Having a large or comparatively larger concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
Carrots are high in vitamin A.
Made from a high-copper alloy
High
(acoustics) Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
The note was too high for her to sing.
High
(phonetics) Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
High
(card games) Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
High
(poker) Having the highest rank in a straight, flush or straight flush.
I have KT742 of the same suit. In other words, a K-high flush.
9-high straight = 98765 unsuited
Royal Flush = AKQJT suited = A-high straight flush
High
(of a card or hand) Winning; able to take a trick, win a round, etc.
North's hand was high. East was in trouble.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
High
(informal) intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
High
Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
High
Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.
Our defensive line is too high.
High
In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
The desks were piled high with magazines.
High
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
High
At a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.
High
A high point or position, literally (as, an elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven).or figuratively (as, a point of success or achievement; a time when things are at their best, greatest, most numerous, maximum, etc).
It was one of the highs of his career.
Inflation reached a ten-year high.
High
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's high was 32 °C.
High
A period of euphoria, from excitement or from an intake of drugs.
That pill gave me a high for a few hours, before I had a comedown.
High
A drug that gives such a high.
High
A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
A large high is centred on the Azores.
High
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.
High
(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.
High
(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.
High
To hie; to hasten.
High
To hie.
Men must high them apace, and make haste.
High
To rise; as, the sun higheth.
High
Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
High
Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; - used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection
High
Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives.
High
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
High time it is this war now ended were.
High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.
High
Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
He was a wight of high renown.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
High
Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
High
Acute or sharp; - opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
High
Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions.
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?
High
Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), Ō (fŌd). See Guide to Pronunciation, 10, 11.
High
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Plain living and high thinking are no more.
High
Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.
High
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; - used in a bad sense.
An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.
His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.
High
In a high manner; in a high place; to a great altitude; to a great degree; largely; in a superior manner; eminently; powerfully.
High
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
High
People of rank or high station; as, high and low.
High
The highest card dealt or drawn.
The dayspring from on high hath visited us.
High
A lofty level or position or degree;
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high
High
An air mass of higher than normal pressure;
The east coast benefits from a Bermuda high
High
A state of sustained elation;
I'm on a permanent high these days
High
A state of altered consciousness induced by alcohol or narcotics;
They took drugs to get a high on
High
A high place;
They stood on high and observed the coutryside
He doesn't like heights
High
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
High
A forward gear with a gear ratio giving high vehicle velocity for a given engine speed
High
Greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount;
A high temperature
A high price
The high point of his career
High risks
Has high hopes
The river is high
He has a high opinion of himself
High
(literal meanings) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high');
A high mountain
High ceilings
High buildings
A high forehead
A high incline
A foot high
High
Standing above others in quality or position;
People in high places
The high priest
Eminent members of the community
High
Used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
High
Happy and excited and energetic
High
Used of the smell of game beginning to taint
High
Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
High
At a great altitude;
He climbed high on the ladder
High
In or to a high position, amount, or degree;
Prices have gone up far too high
High
In a rich manner;
He lives high
High
Far up toward the source;
He lives high up the river
Common Curiosities
What does "higher" mean?
"Higher" is the comparative form of "high," indicating a greater degree or level compared to another reference.
How do I know when to use "high" or "higher"?
Use "high" when not making a direct comparison, and "higher" when comparing two or more entities.
What does "high" mean?
"High" describes something elevated, substantial, or considerable in position, intensity, or quality.
What is an example of "high" in a sentence?
The airplane flew at a high altitude.
Are there contexts where both "high" and "higher" could be correct?
Yes, depending on whether you are making a comparison or describing a singular state.
What is a physical example of "higher"?
One mountain having a higher peak compared to another nearby mountain.
Is "higher" always better?
Not necessarily; it depends on the context, as higher risks are not typically considered better.
How does "high" relate to quality?
"High" indicates superior or excellent quality.
Can "high" and "higher" be used interchangeably?
No, "high" is used for general descriptions, while "higher" is used for comparisons.
What is an example of "higher" in a sentence?
This airplane flies at a higher altitude than the other.
Can "higher" imply improvement?
Yes, "higher" often suggests an improvement or increase in quality, amount, or degree.
What is a physical example of "high"?
A mountain that is known for its high peak.
How does "higher" relate to quality?
"Higher" compares the quality of one item or condition as superior to another.
What might be a negative implication of "higher"?
Higher costs or higher levels of pollution could be seen as negatives.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
