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

Lord Mandelson was sacked as ambassador in September 2025, after new information came to light about the depth of his relationship with Epstein.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

On the second day of a four-day state visit, Charles is expected to call in his speech for "reconciliation and renewal," with the so-called special relationship between Washington and London under strain.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

The Microsoft-OpenAI relationship is also at the heart of court proceedings set to kick off on Monday with jury selection.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

The current account is the broadest indicator of a country’s trading and investing relationship with other nations, and a deficit may reflect a low level of national savings relative to investment.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

“Did you know one of them personally? Did you have a personal relationship with—Edda, you know what I mean.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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