relationship

American  

[ri-lay-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

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Etymology

Origin of relationship

First recorded in 1735–45; relation + -ship

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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

The monarch and the president have "a very warm relationship," a royal spokesperson said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Rachel says it was the start of her rebuilding a "wonderful" relationship with her mum.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Cárdenas’s relationship with López Obrador was at times difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Both candidates in the L.A. mayoral race, incumbent Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman, have called for the city to permanently end its relationship with Flock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

With Maggie’s input, Ellet ghostwrote a book about Maggie and Elisha’s relationship.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

"But the closer these relationships are, the harder it is for one to assess true sustainable demand."

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Spiering said he’s focused on disciplined spending even as the company scouts out potential acquisitions and manages relationships with governments in Iraq, Argentina and Venezuela.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

In his statement, Garcia added that "the most exciting part for me is strengthening personal relationships, both new and old".

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Loneliness and jealousy have an ironic way of coming up when relationships are at their best.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

I pretend that high school relationships last into college.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

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Related Words

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

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