relevance

American  

[rel-uh-vuhns] / ˈrɛl ə vəns /

Often relevancy

noun

1. the condition of being relevant, or connected with the matter at hand.

   Some traditional institutions of the media lack relevance in this digital age.

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Etymology

Origin of relevance

First recorded in 1620–30, for an earlier sense; relev(ant) ( def. ) + -ance ( def. )

Explanation

To know the relevance of something is to know why it matters or how it is important. I don't understand the relevance of this discussion: it doesn't seem important to me. If you don't understand the relevance of the word "relevant" to the discussion of the meaning of the word relevance, we're gonna have some trouble. When something is "relevant," it matters. Its relevance is clear. Relevance is simply the noun form of the adjective "relevant," which means "important to the matter at hand." Artists and politicians are always worried about their relevance. If they are no longer relevant, they may not keep their job. Someone without relevance might be called "irrelevant."

Example Sentences

Lessons from that decade abound—and many still have relevance today.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Editors at eLife describe the findings as valuable and supported by largely convincing evidence, with broad relevance for scientists studying how animals move.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

Quantitative analysis means being efficient in digesting information and studying the relevance of historical patterns.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The court responded by once again raising concerns that one citation was nonexistent and two other AI-assisted citations had only “tenuous” relevance to the case at hand.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

“Your Honor, this testimony has no relevance to the charges of murder for which this court is convened, and I move that it be disallowed from jury and the trial records.”

From "Mississippi Trial, 1955" by Chris Crowe

Related Words

• applicability
• importance
• purpose