κρείσσων comp. of κρατύς v. κράτιστος
I.stronger, mightier, more powerful, Il., etc.
2.in sense often as comp. of ἀγαθός, better, οἱ κρέσσονες one's betters, Pind.; so, τὰ κρείσσω Eur.: —τὰ κρείσσονα one's advantages, Thuc.
3.c. inf., οὔτις κρείσσων δόμεναι no one has a better right to give, Od.: —κρεῖσσόν ἐστι, c. inf., 'tis better to . . , κρεῖσσόν ἐστι θανεῖν ἢ πάσχειν κακῶς Aesch.:—also κρείσσων εἰμί, c. part., κρείσσων ἦσθα μηκέτ᾽ ὢν ἢ ζῶν τυφλός thou wert better not alive, than living blind, Soph.
II.too great for, ὕψος κρεῖσσον ἐκπηδήματος too great for leaping out of, Aesch.; κρείσσον᾽ ἀγχόνης too bad for hanging, Soph.; ἐλπίδος κρ. worse than one expected, Thuc.
IV.in attic Prose in moral sense, better, more excellent, Ar.