comprehensive library

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "comprehensive library" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe a library that contains a wide range of resources or information on various subjects. An example is: "The university boasts a comprehensive library that supports diverse academic research." Alternative expressions include "extensive collection" and "complete archive."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Formal & Business

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

55 human-written examples

Councils are required by law to provide all residents with a comprehensive library service.

The Economist

The specimens in these containers make up perhaps the most comprehensive library of human and animal blood work in Africa.

The New Yorker

For more than two centuries the British Museum combined a great museum of antiquities with a great comprehensive library.

Encyclopedia Britannica

He predicted that the renovated central library would "be a huge jolt of energy for the city when it's done, the biggest comprehensive library open in the world but also in human history".

The New York Times - Arts

At present, composers above all need a compiling language comprised of musical or quasi-musical statements and a comprehensive library of basic compositional operations written as closed subroutines in effect, a user's system analogous to computer languages (such as Fortran) used by mathematicians.

Encyclopedia Britannica

In the ideal Ruizian cinémathèque (which would be Borges's metaphysically comprehensive Library of Babel reimagined as a Netflix queue), both the DeLillo and the Castelo Branco adaptations would exist, and the thousands of films Ruiz might have made would be just as real as the hundred-something he really has made.

The New York Times - Magazine

Comprehensive library of phosphorus XANES reference standards used during linear combination fitting.

Geochemical Transactions

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

4 human-written examples

He was also biographer for Maynard Ferguson, Billy Taylor and wrote comprehensive libraries of instructional and biographical music publications.

The New York Times

Chat rooms have spawned an underground subculture in which social status is based on comprehensive libraries of images.

The New Yorker

Then came digital; hundreds of channels, red buttons, self-scheduling and lots more companies promising to deliver more channel choice, better EPGs, bigger storage capacity and more comprehensive libraries of video-on-demand.

Independent

Comprehensive libraries for process programming are essential for the acceptance, popularity, and success of this new programming paradigm.

Data & Knowledge Engineering

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In scientific writing, use this phrase to refer to systematic sets of data, such as genomic sequences or chemical compounds, to indicate that the set represents the whole population or variety.

Common error

Do not pair this phrase with other adjectives that mean the same thing, such as 'complete comprehensive library' or 'thoroughly comprehensive library'. The word 'comprehensive' already implies totality and depth, so adding more qualifiers makes the writing heavy and repetitive.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "comprehensive library" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective 'comprehensive' modifies the noun 'library'. According to Ludwig AI, it is used to denote an all-inclusive or highly diverse collection. It serves as the subject or object of a sentence to establish the breadth of a resource.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

48%

News & Media

32%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

6%

Wiki

3%

Social Media

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "comprehensive library" is a highly effective and versatile expression in English, used to denote a collection that is both broad in scope and deep in detail. Ludwig AI indicates that it is particularly prevalent in scientific and academic contexts, where it often refers to digital datasets, genomic libraries, or specialized reference materials. It is also a staple in journalism to describe prestigious physical institutions. Because the word 'comprehensive' carries significant weight regarding quality and inclusivity, the phrase is preferred over simpler alternatives when the writer needs to convey authority and reliability. Using it correctly helps establish a professional tone and clearly communicates that a resource is exhaustive within its specific niche.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

extensive collection

Emphasizes the physical or numerical size of the items held.

vast repository

Suggests a larger, perhaps more centralized or digital storage space.

thorough archive

Focuses on the historical preservation and depth of record-keeping.

all-inclusive library

Adds a slightly more colloquial emphasis on nothing being omitted.

broad database

Specific to digital contexts and structured information sets.

full-scale archive

Indicates that the collection is complete in its professional capacity.

exhaustive inventory

Focuses on the meticulous listing and presence of every possible item.

complete catalog

Refers more to the systematic list of items rather than the collection itself.

wide-ranging resource

Highlights the diverse utility and variety of the materials provided.

in-depth compendium

Suggests a summarized but extremely detailed collection of knowledge.

FAQs

How do I use "comprehensive library" in a professional sentence?

You can use it to describe resources in a workplace or academic setting, for example: "The legal department maintains a "comprehensive library" of past case studies to assist with new litigation."

What is a more technical alternative to "comprehensive library" in science?

In technical or digital contexts, you might prefer using a "broad database" or an "extensive repository" depending on whether you are referring to data or physical specimens.

Is "comprehensive library" better than "large library"?

Yes, because while 'large' only refers to size, "comprehensive library" implies that the collection is well-rounded and covers all relevant areas of a subject, making it a more qualitative description.

Can "comprehensive library" be used for digital products?

Absolutely. It is frequently used for software, such as a "comprehensive library of code", or streaming services that offer a "comprehensive library of films".