relation

[ri-ley-shuhn]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an existing connection; a significant association between or among things: the relation between cause and effect.

relations,

the various connections between peoples, countries, etc.: foreign relations.
the various connections in which persons are brought together: business and social relations.
sexual intercourse.

the mode or kind of connection between one person and another, between an individual and God, etc.

connection between persons by blood or marriage.

a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative: his wife's relations.

the act of relating, narrating, or telling; narration.

Law. a principle whereby effect is given to an act done at one time as if it had been done at a previous time.

Mathematics.

a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality.
a single- or multiple-valued function.

Idioms

in/with relation to, with reference to; concerning: It's best to plan with relation to anticipated changes in one's earnings.

Origin of relation

1350–1400; Middle English relacion < Latin relātiōn- (stem of relātiō). See relate, -ion

Related formsre·la·tion·less, adjectivenon·re·la·tion, nounpre·re·la·tion, nounsub·re·la·tion, noun

Synonyms for relation

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relation ON THESAURUS.COM

1. relationship; tie, link. 2a. association. 4. relationship, kinship. 6. recitation, recital, description.

Antonyms for relation

1. independence.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for relation

relationship, alliance, similarity, affiliation, kindred, propinquity, consanguinity, relative, sibling, liaison, affinity, kin, association, kinship

Examples from the Web for relation

Contemporary Examples of relation

Kim Kardashian Breaks the InternetTalking about butts in relation to Kim Kardashian had become tired.
Year of the Butt: How the Booty Changed the World in 2014
Kevin Fallon
December 30, 2014
It was now almost impossible to speak of individual divisions in relation to these actions, but only of corps.
Blood in the Sand: When James Jones Wrote a Grunt’s View of D-Day
James Jones
November 15, 2014
Our ability to feel seen is truly dependent on being in relation to someone else.
Why You’re Happily Married and Having an Affair
Ryan Selzer
November 2, 2014
Tom Davis (no relation to Wendy) is very clear in his perspective on this.
A Christian Case for Abortion Rights?
Keli Goff
September 9, 2014
Dr. Greenberg also indicates that the frequency of splurges can change depending on where you are in relation to your goal.
When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days
DailyBurn
July 14, 2014

Historical Examples of relation

Who would not be proud of such a relation as Miss Clarissa Harlowe?
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
Mr. Gladstone dwells much on the relation of Homer to Christianity.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
To my mind the two have no more than the relation of the words of a song and the music of its setting.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
In relation to her and her people he seemed to himself a man of power and influence.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
I revert, then, to my statement that God's relation to punishment is chiefly verbal.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King

British Dictionary definitions for relation

relation

noun

the state or condition of being related or the manner in which things are related

connection by blood or marriage; kinship

a person who is connected by blood or marriage; relative; kinsman

reference or regard (esp in the phrase in or with relation to)

the position, association, connection, or status of one person or thing with regard to another or others

the act of relating or narrating

an account or narrative

law the principle by which an act done at one time is regarded in law as having been done antecedently

law the statement of grounds of complaint made by a relator

logic maths

an association between ordered pairs of objects, numbers, etc, such as … is greater than …
the set of ordered pairs whose members have such an association

philosophy

internal relationa relation that necessarily holds between its relata, as 4 is greater than 2
external relationa relation that does not so hold

Word Origin for relation

C14: from Latin relātiō a narration, a relation (between philosophical concepts)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for relation

late 14c., "connection, correspondence;" also "act of telling," from Anglo-French relacioun, Old French relacion "report, connection" (14c.), from Latin relationem (nominative relatio) "a bringing back, restoring; a report, proposition," from relatus (see relate). Meaning "person related by blood or marriage" first attested c.1500. Stand-alone phrase no relation "not in the same family" is attested by 1930.

relation in Medicine

relation

[rĭ-lā′shən]

n.

A logical or natural association between two or more things; relevance of one to another; connection.

The connection of people by blood or marriage; kinship.

A person connected to another by blood or marriage; a relative.

The positional relationship of the teeth or other structures in the mouth.

Idioms and Phrases with relation

relation

see poor relation; relative (in relation) to.