के मुक़ाबले में (ke muqaable men)

postposition A compound postposition meaning 'in comparison to/with' or 'compared to,' built from the noun मुक़ाबला (muqaablaa, 'comparison/contest') sitting between के (ke) and में (men). Closely related to the shorter के मुक़ाबले (ke muqaable), which is used interchangeably.
Sense 1 : in comparison to, compared to
postposition Takes the oblique form of the preceding noun/pronoun, as with any compound postposition built on के: उससे becomes उसके मुक़ाबले में (uske muqaable men, 'compared to him/her/that').
Synonyms: के मुक़ाबले (ke muqaable, shorter variant), की तुलना में (kii tulnaa men)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You will hear this constantly in everyday comparisons -- at the sabzi mandi comparing prices (इस साल के मुक़ाबले में सब्ज़ी सस्ती है, is saal ke muqaable men sabzii sastii hai, 'vegetables are cheaper compared to this year'), or in casual chat comparing two people or cities. It sits at the same job as की तुलना में (kii tulnaa men) but feels a touch more conversational and less bookish.
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often drop में (men) or में and के (ke) inconsistently -- both के मुक़ाबले (ke muqaable) and के मुक़ाबले में (ke muqaable men) are correct and mean the same thing, so mixing them up mid-sentence (like साथ में के मुक़ाबले) is the actual error, not omitting में itself. 2) The noun or pronoun before it must be in the oblique/genitive form via के (ke), so learners sometimes wrongly attach से (se) here by analogy with 'than' in English comparatives (जैसे से or की तुलना में patterns), producing an ungrammatical mix.
Sample Sentences:
पिछले साल के मुक़ाबले में इस साल गर्मी ज़्यादा है। Compared to last year, the heat is more this year.
(pichhle saal ke muqaable men is saal garmii zyaadaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
दिल्ली के मुक़ाबले में मुंबई का किराया बहुत ज़्यादा है। Compared to Delhi, Mumbai's rent is much higher.
(dillii ke muqaable men mumbaii kaa kiraayaa bahut zyaadaa hai।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
अपने भाई के मुक़ाबले में वह ज़्यादा मेहनती था। Compared to his brother, he was more hardworking.
(apne bhaaii ke muqaable men vah zyaadaa mehantii thaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
पहले के मुक़ाबले में अब सब्ज़ी बहुत सस्ती मिल रही है। Compared to before, vegetables are being found much cheaper now.
(pahle ke muqaable men ab sabzii bahut sastii mil rahii hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Continuous -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive
इस मॉडल के मुक़ाबले में वह पुराना मॉडल ज़्यादा टिकाऊ साबित हुआ। Compared to this model, that old model proved more durable.
(is modal ke muqaable men vah puraanaa modal zyaadaa tikaaoo saabit huaa।)
Register: Neutral -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Perfective -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
अगर तुम अपने दोस्तों के मुक़ाबले में देखो, तो तुम बहुत आगे हो। If you look at it compared to your friends, you are far ahead.
(agar tum apne doston ke muqaable men dekho, to tum bahut aage ho।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Subjunctive -- Voice: Active
अगर वह अपने पड़ोसियों के मुक़ाबले में इतना कमाता, तो कोई शिकायत न करता। If he earned this much compared to his neighbors, no one would complain.
(agar vah apne padosiyon ke muqaable men itnaa kamaataa, to koii shikaayat n kartaa।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Counterfactual -- Aspect: Habitual -- Voice: Active
दूसरी दुकानों के मुक़ाबले में यहाँ का सामान बेहतर होता है। Compared to other shops, the goods here are better.
(doosrii dukaanon ke muqaable men yahaan kaa saamaan behtar hotaa hai।)
Register: Casual -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Active
पुरुष उम्मीदवारों के मुक़ाबले में महिला उम्मीदवारों की संख्या कम थी। Compared to male candidates, the number of female candidates was lower.
(purush ummiidvaaron ke muqaable men mahilaa ummiidvaaron kii sankhyaa kam thii।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Tense: Past -- Voice: Active
बड़े शहरों के मुक़ाबले में गाँवों में प्रदूषण कम पाया जाता है। Compared to big cities, pollution is found to be lower in villages.
(bade shahron ke muqaable men gaanvon men pradooshan kam paayaa jaataa hai।)
Register: Formal -- Mood: Indicative -- Aspect: Habitual -- Tense: Present -- Voice: Passive