relative

[ rel-uh-tiv ]

/ ˈrɛl ə tɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: relative / relatives on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage.

something having, or standing in, some relation or connection to something else.

something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. (opposed to absolute).

Grammar. a relative pronoun, adjective, or adverb.

adjective

considered in relation to something else; comparative: the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.

existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent: Happiness is relative.

having relation or connection.

having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually followed by to): to determine the facts relative to an accident.

correspondent; proportionate: Value is relative to demand.

(of a term, name, etc.) depending for significance upon something else: “Better” is a relative term.

Grammar.

noting or pertaining to a word that introduces a subordinate clause of which it is, or is a part of, the subject or predicate and that refers to an expressed or implied element of the principal clause (the antecedent), as the relative pronoun who in He's the man who saw you or the relative adverb where in This is the house where she was born.
noting or pertaining to a relative clause.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of relative

1350–1400; Middle English relatif (noun) (<Middle French ) <Late Latin relātīvus (adj.); see relate, -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM relative

non·rel·a·tive, noun, adjectivenon·rel·a·tive·ly, adverbnon·rel·a·tive·ness, nounun·rel·a·tive, adjective

un·rel·a·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use relative in a sentence

So where does this leave the millions of Palestinians—like my relatives—who dream of self-determination and a sovereign state?
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
On Monday, Soelistyo had jolted relatives as well as searchers by suggesting that the plane could be “at the bottom of the sea.”
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So, why would a species like the banded mongoose favor breeding between relatives?
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family|Helen Thompson|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That is why I visited my relatives in Iran in 2011, when I was unjustly arrested and charged with espionage.
An American Marine in Iran’s Prisons Goes on Hunger Strike|IranWire|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He called for the homes of their families to be leveled “to the ground” and their relatives to be exiled from Chechnya.
Putin’s Favorite Acolyte Terrorizes Human Rights Activists|Anna Nemtsova|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A dish of toads of the largest and most repulsive variety used to be offered one by one to the big man's relatives and guests.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The mob of relatives and friends wrecked and burned the castle, massacring the retainers to a man.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
One would have thought that half the dogs in the neighborhood had relatives coming from Columbia.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
Afterward, accompanied by his relatives, he proceeded to the room where were placed the tablets in memory of his ancestors.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
He does not know yet that the larger estate a man leaves to his relatives the more useful his life has been.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for relative

relative

/ (ˈrɛlətɪv) /

adjective

having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolutea relative value

(prenominal) (of a scientific quantity) being measured or stated relative to some other substance or measurementrelative humidity; relative density Compare absolute (def. 10)

(prenominal) comparative or respectivethe relative qualities of speed and accuracy

(postpositive foll by to) in proportion (to); corresponding (to)earnings relative to production

having reference (to); pertinent (to)matters not relative to the topic under discussion

grammar denoting or belonging to a class of words that function as subordinating conjunctions in introducing relative clauses. In English, relative pronouns and determiners include who, which, and thatCompare demonstrative (def. 5), interrogative (def. 3)

grammar denoting or relating to a clause (relative clause) that modifies a noun or pronoun occurring earlier in the sentence

(of a musical key or scale) having the same key signature as another key or scaleC major is the relative major of A minor

noun

a person who is related by blood or marriage; relation

a relative pronoun, clause, or grammatical construction

Derived forms of relative

relativeness, noun

Word Origin for relative

C16: from Late Latin relātīvus referring

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

relative

Origin of relative

OTHER WORDS FROM relative

Words related to relative

How to use relative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for relative

Derived forms of relative

Word Origin for relative