relationship

American  

[ri-ley-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

Etymology

Origin of relationship

First recorded in 1735–45; relation + -ship

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

Screen viewing at ages 2 and 3 was not significantly associated with the later outcomes measured in the study, but the relationship appeared again at age 6.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

“Everyone has some kind of relationship to fencing,” said Mary Sola Spohn, the owner of Swordplay LA.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Talks between Canada and the U.S. collapsed late Friday—raising the prospect of an all-out trade war between neighbors with a nearly $900 billion-a-year trading relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Chandrasekharan's exit is the second instance where the chairman has resigned because of the rocky relationship with the Trusts.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

The rumor of Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings first became public in 1802, when journalist James T. Callender published the charge.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

However, individual Roseburia species did not all show the same relationships.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Surprised, Sherlock pushed back, explaining that she had been working on her relationships and felt they were improving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

So seriously, in fact, that he's desperate to make amends for a lyric on the last Killers album, called In Another Life, that made some fans question their relationships.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Some speculated his success came from useful close relationships, including with the brother of former premier Wen Jiabao.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

It’s also true that I’ve given up on trying to act, and on the relationships I’ve built here.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

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