Is the usage "one of the better" correct and grammatical?

Question

A colleague of mine stated that he often hears "one of the better X" from native speakers. I haven't heard this phrase often, and I would use "one of the best X" myself, unless I want to contrast something, like:

Solution A is good, but Solution B is one of the better [ones]

Can "one of the better" be used (or is it used even if it happens to be non-grammatical) in non-contrasting cases like:

This apple is one of the better I've tasted

Dale M · Answer

Technically there is only one "best" so "one of the best" is synonymous with "best", that said, it's used quite often - it's English not mathematics after all, imprecision is allowed.

"One of the better " is fine too.

user152095 · Answer

"One of the better" is grammatically incorrect.

I am good.
I am better than you.
I am the the best of all 3 of us.

That is a good book.
This book is better than this one.
This book is the best book of all three, four, five, etc., etc.)

RC REDDY · Answer

'One of the better' may not be used because 'the better ' can be used when compared the two. Example: She is the better of the two sisters.

Vincenzooo · Answer

In first case is acceptable, but has a different meaning than using the best. If you state:

Solution A is good, but Solution B is one of the better

better is comparative, meaning that if you have 100 solutions and A is ranked 50th, B can be any of the solutions that are better than A, for example the 49th best one. If you state one of the best it means the solution is ranked high.

In the second case there is not comparison, so you need to use superlative.

Is the usage "one of the better" correct and grammatical?

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