apples to oranges
Mismatched comparison phrase
Apples to oranges describes a comparison between things too different to meaningfully compare: Comparing a startup to a Fortune 500 company is apples to oranges.
The phrase usually appears with verbs like compare or mix.
The full form comparing apples to oranges emphasizes that the comparison is flawed from the start.
- unlikeNot similar to
- dissimilarityState of being unlike
- comparisonAssessment of similarities
- incomparableWithout equal or rival
- chalk and cheeseUtterly dissimilar pair
contrast · mismatch · false equivalence · polar opposites · oil and water · difference · worlds apart · not even close · category error · incommensurable · dichotomy · compare and contrast · night and day · false analogy · divergence · distinction · mixed bag · variance
- bad comparisonsfalse equivalence
apples to orangeslike for like
Equal reciprocation in kind
level playing field · commensurate · on equal footing · on a par · commensurable
apples to orangestwo peas in a pod
cut from the same cloth · birds of a feather · one and the same · same difference · interchangeable