Word.ws English Dictionary

higher-octane

higher-octane is the comparative form of high-octane.

Meaning of high-octane

Adjective

high-octane (comparative higher-octane, superlative highest-octane)

  1. Of fuel, having a high octane number, good antiknock characteristics; used in high-performance vehicles.
    • Now, to do the job, I need some high-octane gasoline.1982, Terry Hayes, George Miller, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, spoken by Max (Mel Gibson)
    Antonyms:
    low-octane
  2. (broadly, figuratively) High-powered, energetic, forceful or dynamic.
    • So what if the Greeks never had BMX bikes? This year's Olympic Games, which kick off August 8 in China, add high-octane competitions—BMX racing and open-water swimming—and include sports like table tennis taken to Olympian levels.2008 January–February, Matt Bean, “Your cultural calendar: 7 things to look forward to this year”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135
    Antonyms:
    low-octane
  3. (figuratively) Of a drink, highly intoxicating or caffeinated.
    • There's no question that the high-octane beers of Marshall Wharf have had a massive influence on the breweries that have opened in Maine since 2007.2013, Josh Christie, Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland, Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN

Questions about higher-octane

What is higher-octane the comparative form of?
Higher-octane is the comparative form of high-octane.

Words near higher-octane in the dictionary

  1. higher-income
  2. higher-intensity
  3. higher-IQ
  4. higher-level
  5. higher-lying
  6. higher-octane
  7. higher-order
  8. higher-order function
  9. higher-order functions
  10. higher-paid
  11. higher-paying

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: higher-octane (page history and authors); high-octane (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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