relative

American  

[rel-uh-tiv] / ˈrɛl ə tɪv /

noun

• relatives
  plural

1. 

   a person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage.

2. something having, or standing in, some relation or connection to something else.

3. something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. (opposed to absolute).

4. Grammar. a relative pronoun, adjective, or adverb.

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adjective

1. considered in relation to something else; comparative.

   the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.

2. existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent.

   Happiness is relative.

3. having relation or connection.

4. having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually followed byto ).

   to determine the facts relative to an accident.

5. correspondent; proportionate.

   Value is relative to demand.

6. (of a term, name, etc.) depending for significance upon something else.

   “Better” is a relative term.

7. Grammar.

   1. noting or pertaining to a word that introduces a subordinate clause of which it is, or is a part of, the subject or predicate and that refers to an expressed or implied element of the principal clause (the antecedent), as the relative pronoun who in He's the man who saw you or the relative adverb where in This is the house where she was born.

   2. noting or pertaining to a relative clause.

idioms

1. it’s all relative. see it's all relative.

relative British  

/ ˈrɛlətɪv /

adjective

1. having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolute

   a relative value

2. (prenominal) (of a scientific quantity) being measured or stated relative to some other substance or measurement Compare absolute

   relative humidity

   relative density

3. (prenominal) comparative or respective

   the relative qualities of speed and accuracy

4. in proportion (to); corresponding (to)

   earnings relative to production

5. having reference (to); pertinent (to)

   matters not relative to the topic under discussion

6. grammar denoting or belonging to a class of words that function as subordinating conjunctions in introducing relative clauses. In English, relative pronouns and determiners include who, which, and that Compare demonstrative interrogative

7. grammar denoting or relating to a clause ( relative clause ) that modifies a noun or pronoun occurring earlier in the sentence

8. (of a musical key or scale) having the same key signature as another key or scale

   C major is the relative major of A minor

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noun

1. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relation

2. a relative pronoun, clause, or grammatical construction

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrelative
  noun
• nonrelativeness
  noun
• relativeness
  noun
• unrelative
  adjective
• nonrelatively
  adverb
• unrelatively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relatives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of relative

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English relatif (noun), either from Middle French or from Late Latin relātīvus (adjective); see relate, -ive

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Explanation

A relative is a person who is part of your family. Parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins, nieces and nephews — they're all relatives. A relative can be connected to your family through blood or by marriage. If you are a child or grandchild of Maria's, for example, you are a blood relative of her family. If you marry Maria's son, you become a relative by marriage. Relative is also an adjective that means "estimated by comparison," like the steep hill that is tiny, relative to the mountain behind it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relative relatives

In other words, black holes separated by enormous differences in mass appear to activate delayed jets at essentially the same relative feeding rate.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

“A strong customer base, established record of execution, backlog conversion and leading infrastructure performance is all supportive of their issuer profile relative to neocloud peers, in our view,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"Our results show that by 2020, nearly half of coral species were at elevated relative risk of extinction" with climate change the main driver of this decline, wrote Obura and dozens of top scientists.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Worries over weaker borrowers are reflected in the “spread,” or extra compensation investors earn on CCC bonds relative to the prevailing Treasury rate.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

The amplitude of a sound is a particular number, usually measured in decibels, but dynamics are relative; an orchestra playing fortissimo sounds much louder than a single violin playing fortissimo.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Another parent, Asadullah, said he lost a son, nephew, and three other close relatives in the tragedy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Katya was eventually released and allowed to stay with relatives.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Now, prosecutors visited his relatives in Omsk and called on residents of housing blocks where his family had lived.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seven in 10 parents who live near loved ones identify as members of the sandwich generation — those who are simultaneously supporting young children and aging relatives.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

In Auburn’s circles, spirits began performing all kinds of miracles, from flipping hats and playing the harp to suggesting appropriate medicines for sick relatives.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

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