Irregular comparatives (migliore, peggiore)

Just as in English we do not say "more good" or "more bad," Italian has irregular comparatives for these common adjectives.

Better and Worse (Migliore and Peggiore)

To say "better" or "worse," use the irregular adjectives migliore and peggiore. Because they end in -e, they use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine singular nouns.

In Italian, "best" and "worst" are formed simply by pairing these words with a definite article (il, la, i, le). Depending on the context, la migliore can mean "the better one" or "the best one."

This is the best choice.
Questa è la scelta migliore.
Is the other option better?
L'altra opzione è migliore?
That was the worst situation.
Quella è stata la situazione peggiore.
Nothing is worse than this situation.
Niente è peggiore di questa situazione.

Excellent and Terrible (Ottimo and Pessimo)

While you can use the -issimo suffix you learned previously to form buonissimo (very good), Italian has special, highly frequent words for the absolute extremes of good and bad: ottimo (excellent) and pessimo (terrible).

These function just like normal adjectives ending in -o. They must change their endings to match the gender and number of the noun they describe (-o, -a, -i, -e).

The weather today is terrible.
Il tempo oggi è pessimo.
The walk in the park was terrible.
La passeggiata nel parco è stata pessima.
It is an excellent idea.
È un'ottima idea.

Evaluating Outcomes

You will frequently use these extreme adjectives and comparatives to evaluate choices, customer experiences, and results. A very common phrase pattern in Italian is placing possibile (possible) immediately after the noun and comparative to evaluate an outcome.

This is the best possible result.
Questo è il risultato migliore possibile.
It is the worst possible experience for the client.
È l'esperienza peggiore possibile per il cliente.