relationship

American  

[ri-ley-shuhn-ship] / rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp /

noun

• relationships
  plural

1. a connection, association, or involvement.

   Synonyms:

   kinship, alliance, dependence

2. connection between persons by blood or marriage.

   Synonyms:

   consanguinity, affinity

3. an emotional or other connection between people.

   the relationship between teachers and students.

4. a sexual involvement; affair.

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relationship British  

/ rɪˈleɪʃənʃɪp /

noun

1. the state of being connected or related

2. association by blood or marriage; kinship

3. the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc

   a business relationship

4. an emotional or sexual affair or liaison

5. logic maths another name for relation

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Synonym Usage

Relationship, kinship refer to connection with others by blood or by marriage. Relationship can be applied to connection either by birth or by marriage: relationship to a ruling family. Kinship generally denotes common descent and implies a more intimate connection than relationship: the ties and obligations of kinship.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prerelationship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relationships
  plural

Etymology

Origin of relationship

First recorded in 1735–45; relation + -ship

Explanation

When you're in a relationship, you're emotionally involved or at least connected in some way. If you're related to somebody — your parents, your aunts and uncles, your cousins — you share a family relationship with them. You can also use relationship to describe dealings between various groups, as “Members of the European Union have a relationship of economic interconnectedness,” or “A lease helps define your relationship with your landlord.” You'll also see relationship used with interactions that don't directly involve people. In many of these cases, the word relation is better. For example, in the sentence "We are always looking at the relationship between ticket price and sales," it would be better to use relation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relationship relationships

Seehorn’s relationship with the Emmys is even more tumultuous.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Mackie was in a relationship with Iranian fashion designer, Ray Aghayan, from 1963 until Aghayan's death in 2011.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

"Our European partners are keen on a strong transatlantic relationship," he told AFP, saying the bloc is drawn to Canada's "certainty and predictability."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Mrs. Trump does not, and has never had, a relationship with Mr. Kremlev,” according to a spokesman to the first lady.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

When he tries to explain our delicate relationship with the Indians, how we trade and work to keep a fragile peace, they scoff at him.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

"I worried that it would affect my work and my relationships with audiences when they laughed if they knew I was sick," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

If those relationships weaken or change, forecasts based on historical behavior may become less reliable.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

Teams have long relationships with his competitors and sometimes don’t give Light a fair shake, he said, so the company will approach players through their agents, family members or financial advisers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

I feel Japanese fashion in L.A. has gotten more popular and I think fashion is just a universal language we all speak — that’s how I’ve built relationships with people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

As the courses progress, when she is not distracted by the astounding quality of the food, Celia makes a game of deciphering the relationships between the guests.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• accord
• affair
• communication
• contact
• exchange
• liaison
• link
• marriage
• rapport
• relation
• tie