X is more similar to Y compared to Z

Question

Consider this sentence:

X is more similar to Y compared to Z

Which of these does this sentence mean?

1. X is more similar to Y and less similar to Z
2. The similarity of X to Y is more than the similarity of Z to Y

If it means the first interpretation, how can I say the sentence to mean the second interpretation?

Answer 1

The sentence is badly constructed and likely to cause confusion.

To be clear, it needs to read either:

X is more similar to Y than (X is) to Z

or

X is more similar to Y than Y is to Z