relative
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.
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.
Idioms about relative
it’s all relative. See entry at it's all relative.
Origin of relative
1Other words from relative
- non·rel·a·tive, noun, adjective
- non·rel·a·tive·ly, adverb
- non·rel·a·tive·ness, noun
- un·rel·a·tive, adjective
- un·rel·a·tive·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | THE DAILY BEASTOn Monday, Soelistyo had jolted relatives as well as searchers by suggesting that the plane could be “at the bottom of the sea.”
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThat 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 | THE DAILY BEASTHe 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 | THE 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 WillsThe 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 WillsOne 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. WardAfterward, 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. PikeHe 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
/ (ˈrɛlətɪv) /
having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolute: a relative value
(prenominal) (of a scientific quantity) being measured or stated relative to some other substance or measurement: relative humidity; relative density Compare absolute (def. 10)
(prenominal) comparative or respective: the 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 that: Compare 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 scale: C major is the relative major of A minor
a person who is related by blood or marriage; relation
a relative pronoun, clause, or grammatical construction
Origin of relative
1Derived forms of relative
- relativeness, noun
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
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