relevance
Americannoun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing relevance
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 81-90
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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The Bluest Eye
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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.
Fitch Ratings pointed to its system of "ESG Relevance Scores" as including factors such as exposure to environment impacts as one component in its assessments.
From Reuters • Aug. 6, 2023
Relevance, though, often covers a multitude of aesthetic faults — the soporific dullness of being earnest, relentless sentimentality or even a covert didacticism, typically stressing the myriad derelictions to which human beings are all prey.
From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2021
“USS Callister” ratings Relevance: “USS Callister” is relevant today in the same way Terminator remains relevant: largely in the abstract.
From The Verge • Jan. 2, 2018
Relevance: Elon Musk is getting heavily into it.
From The Guardian • Dec. 19, 2016
Relevance applies to the perspective of the future and to the recognition that experiences of the past are less and less pertinent in the new context.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai
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.
