relativistic

American  

[rel-uh-tuh-vis-tik] / ˌrɛl ə təˈvɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to relativity or relativism.

2. Physics.

   1. subject to the special or the general theory of relativity.

   2. (of a velocity) having a magnitude that is a significant fraction of the speed of light.

   3. (of a particle) having a relativistic velocity.

      radiation from relativistic electrons.

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Other Word Forms

• relativistically adverb
• ultrarelativistic adjective
• unrelativistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of relativistic

First recorded in 1885–90; relativist + -ic

Example Sentences

By incorporating their relativistic model into modern gravitational waveform calculations, the researchers demonstrate that such dark matter structures would leave distinct, measurable signatures in the signals detected by future observatories.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025

The new work addresses this limitation by introducing the first fully relativistic framework for a wide range of possible environments.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2025

Their picture shows the galaxy NGC 5128 and its relativistic jet - beams of radiation and particles travelling close to the speed of light.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2024

On the other end of the spectrum, hot dark matter moves at relativistic speeds, rendering it incapable of gathering most anything.

From Scientific American • Jun. 20, 2023

Such ships could not travel close enough to the speed of light for special relativistic time dilation to become important.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan