relevant
Americanadjective
adjective
-
having direct bearing on the matter in hand; pertinent
-
linguistics another word for distinctive
Pronunciation
See irrelevant.
Related Words
See apt.
Other Word Forms
- nonrelevant adjective
- relevance noun
- relevancy noun
- relevantly adverb
- unrelevant adjective
- unrelevantly adverb
Etymology
Origin of relevant
First recorded in 1550–60; from Medieval Latin relevant-, stem of relevāns, special use of Latin present participle of relevāre “to raise, lift up”; relieve ( def. ), -ant ( def. )
Explanation
Something is relevant if it's appropriate or connected to the matter at hand. Relevant things are helpful and on point. Relevant things are appropriate and make sense at that particular time. In the middle of history class, your teacher loves to get relevant questions: questions that have to do with the material. The teacher won't be thrilled to get a question about math: that's not relevant. You can also say a song or movie is relevant if it's connected to current events or issues people are talking about. When something is relevant, it just fits what is happening.
Vocabulary lists containing relevant
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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List 1
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ives, who has been reliably bullish on software remaining relevant in the artificial-intelligence age, says investors are waking up to the realization that AI displacement fears are well overblown.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
That Collin Morikawa is even relevant at this point is stunning, considering the physical battle he’s enduring.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
"Our findings may open a route toward compact gravitational-wave sensing, where the relevant atomic ensemble is millimeter-scale," said Navdeep Arya, a postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm University.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
The rapid proliferation of drones has made many of those weapons less relevant, and spurred Ukrainian rag-tag arms producers to become global leaders in drone warfare and anti-drone systems.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The people who worked on the relevant Goldman Sachs mortgage bond trading desk were all extremely intelligent.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
