relation

[ ri-ley-shuhn ]

/ rɪˈleɪ ʃən /

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See synonyms for: relation / relations 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR relation

1 relationship; tie, link.

2a association.

4 relationship, kinship.

6 recitation, recital, description.

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OPPOSITES FOR relation

1 independence.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about relation

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

OTHER WORDS FROM relation

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

Words nearby relation

relatability, relatable, relate, related, relatedness, relation, relational, relational database, relations, relationship, relationship marketing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use relation in a sentence

When looking for a country to follow the UAE in normalizing relations with Israel, it was likely he and his team would turn to Bahrain.
Trump announces that Bahrain will normalize relations with Israel|Alex Ward|September 11, 2020|Vox
He then set up a recurrence relation and had his computer crunch the numbers via memoization.
The Fifth Battle For Riddler Nation|Zach Wissner-Gross|September 4, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
City Councilwoman Barbara Bry has cleared up any confusion on where she stands in relation to an ambitious new transit.
Morning Report: MTS Rejects Many Who Applied for Disabled Fare Reductions|Voice of San Diego|August 31, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The effectiveness of air purifiers depends on how well they catch air particles and their size in relation to the space they must filter.
Can an air purifier help protect you from COVID-19?|dzanemorris|August 22, 2020|Fortune

Julia Miashkova is a social data analyst with a background in public relations and SEO.
How to optimize for the Instagram algorithm in 2020|Julia Miashkova|August 19, 2020|Search Engine Watch
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
My nearest relation, my wife, is telling me to get off my database and take out the garbage.
Up To a Point: Robber Barons Make Way For Robber Nerds|P. J. O’Rourke|August 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This mania for correction shows itself too in relation to the authorities themselves.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The relation existing between the balmy plant and the commerce of the world is of the strongest kind.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
In the close relation and affection of these last days, the sense of alienation and antagonism faded from both their hearts.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
The conception of the relation of this institution with them as co-operative makes headway slowly.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Uric acid is decreased before an attack of gout and increased afterward, but its etiologic relation is still uncertain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for relation

relation

/ (rɪˈleɪʃən) /

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 relation a relation that necessarily holds between its relata, as 4 is greater than 2
external relation a 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with relation

relation

see poor relation; relative (in relation) to.

relation

OTHER WORDS FOR relation

OPPOSITES FOR relation

Idioms about relation

Origin of relation

OTHER WORDS FROM relation

Words nearby relation

Words related to relation

How to use relation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for relation

Word Origin for relation

Other Idioms and Phrases with relation