relationship

American  

[ri-ley-shuhn-ship] / rɪˈleɪ ʃənˌʃɪp /

noun

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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Related Words

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

• prerelationship
  noun

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

Tuchel's predecessor Gareth Southgate was praised throughout his tenure for generating an atmosphere of unity in his squad and restoring the positive relationship between the players and the public.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Gervais cautions against seeing this as a precise tipping point, but instead considers it an indicative zone where the positive relationship becomes markedly less clear.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

While acknowledging such an outcome seems “logical,” they believe inflation will continue higher irrespective of that development, saying this: “There’s a strong inverse relationship between inflation and equity valuations.”

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

“It’s a symbiotic relationship between the studios and these restaurants,” said critic Matt Singer, who has reviewed tie-in menus for the film website ScreenCrush for more than a decade.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

To find other notes that sound "in tune" with each other, we look for other sets of pitches that have a "simple" frequency relationship.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

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