relatability

American  

[ri-lay-tuh-bil-i-tee] / rɪˌleɪ təˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality of being able to easily form social or emotional connections.

   Wit, humor, light-heartedness, genuineness, and relatability are all quality ingredients for a personality pie.

   The coach strikes a note of relatability and resonance with his players, having been in their shoes not so long ago.

2. the quality of being easily connected or linked.

   Infants presented with an image lacking alignment and relatability looked significantly longer at the complete image, suggesting that they saw the first image as two separate pieces.

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Etymology

Origin of relatability

relat(able) ( def. ) + -ability ( def. )

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Explanation

Relatability is a quality of being connected — either literally, like the relatability of your good mood and the beautiful sunny weather, or emotionally, like the relatability of a TV character you identify with. The relatability between things is a kind of cause and effect: there's a clear relatability between how much fried dough you eat at the fair and how your stomach feels later that day. It's even more common to use this word for a kind of sympathy, understanding, or connection between people: "I know the other mayoral candidate has more political experience, but her relatability makes me want to vote for her. She seems like a real person, you know?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relatability

For Watson, the relatability came in a different way.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

When it comes to relatability and authenticity, perhaps no better example of the differences between the two men can be seen in their marriages.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

Leaders of Western democracies mostly strive to project humility, relatability, and an aversion to corruption; the government is multibranched and by the people, after all.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Aside from the emotional and expressive range of her voice, Ms. Lennox’s best attribute is the earthy relatability of her lyrics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

Are we stretching credibility so far that we break the bond of relatability with the audience?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

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