relativistic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to relativity or relativism.
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Physics.
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subject to the special or the general theory of relativity.
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(of a velocity) having a magnitude that is a significant fraction of the speed of light.
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(of a particle) having a relativistic velocity.
radiation from relativistic electrons.
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adjective
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physics having or involving a speed close to that of light so that the behaviour is described by the theory of relativity rather than by Newtonian mechanics
a relativistic electron
a relativistic velocity
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physics of, concerned with, or involving relativity
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of or relating to relativism
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of relativistic
First recorded in 1885–90; relativist + -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That sensitivity has made ZrTe5 an important material for investigating topological phase transitions and relativistic quasiparticles in solids.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 5, 2026
According to the relativistic Euler equation, those two conditions reinforce each other and greatly increase the acceleration.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Their picture shows the galaxy NGC 5128 and its relativistic jet - beams of radiation and particles travelling close to the speed of light.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2024
On the other end of the spectrum, hot dark matter moves at relativistic speeds, rendering it incapable of gathering most anything.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 20, 2023
In fact, the cyclotron had been working perfectly well with beams far more defocused by imperfections in the magnetic field—those bothersome irregularities combated by shimming—than they would be by the relativistic effects that Bethe posited.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
