relative

American  

[rel-uh-tiv] / ˈrɛl ə tɪv /

noun

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. (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. 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

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

Etymology

Origin of relative

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

Example Sentences

One of the biggest appeals of gold is its relative scarcity.

From BBC

Part of the problem was there was no camera directly on the line to show the curvature of the ball relative to the line.

From BBC

A full Moon happens when the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides, relative to the Earth - in alignment, known as 'syzygy'.

From BBC

The analysis suggests that these footprints may have been left by some of the oldest known relatives of duck-billed dinosaurs, making them among the earliest examples of this group identified anywhere in the world.

From Science Daily

And another, Amirali Heidari, was days away from his 18th birthday when he joined a protest in Kermanshah with a group of close friends, according to a relative who lives abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aunt
• cousin
• father
• folk
• mother
• niece
• sibling
• uncle