relationship
Americannoun
-
a connection, association, or involvement.
- Synonyms:
- kinship, alliance, dependence
-
connection between persons by blood or marriage.
- Synonyms:
- consanguinity, affinity
-
an emotional or other connection between people.
the relationship between teachers and students.
-
a sexual involvement; affair.
noun
-
the state of being connected or related
-
association by blood or marriage; kinship
-
the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties, countries, people, etc
a business relationship
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an emotional or sexual affair or liaison
-
logic maths another name for relation
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of relationship
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.
Vocabulary lists containing relationship
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He had started considering a move years earlier, when he was living in public housing with a daughter he had from a prior relationship, who is now 12.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
His three decades on the court were shaped in part by his relationship with Scalia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
One study by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University examining Love Island and relationship education, found some young people do look to reality dating programmes for ideas about romance and relationship behaviour.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
He now maintains their relationship was limited to the movie.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
It was not proper as the couple had no formal relationship.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
At Bellflower Middle and High School, Principal Jessica Cummings said a Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week and parent workshops focused on fostering healthy relationships increased awareness on her campus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
Stop controlling others’ behavior and put your energy back where happiness is actually created—in your own choices, your own relationships and your own life.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"We would rather leave our valuable minerals underground than export them without processing them locally. The era of 'horse and rider' investment relationships is over."
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Watched by millions each summer and discussed constantly across social media, it has become part of the conversation around modern relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The set of pitches, or notes, that are used, and their relationships to each other, makes a big impact on how the music sounds.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
