relevant

[ rel-uh-vuhnt ]

/ ˈrɛl ə vənt /

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adjective

bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent: a relevant remark.

Nearby words

relegate, relent, relentless, relenza, relevance, relevant, relevé, relexify, reliability, reliable, reliance

Origin of relevant

1550–60; < Medieval Latin relevant- (stem of relevāns), special use of Latin, present participle of relevāre to raise, lift up. See relieve, -ant

SYNONYMS FOR relevant

applicable, germane, apposite, appropriate, suitable, fitting.

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Related forms

rel·e·vance, rel·e·van·cy, nounrel·e·vant·ly, adverbnon·rel·e·vant, adjectiveun·rel·e·vant, adjective

un·rel·e·vant·ly, adverb

Synonym study

See apt.

Pronunciation note

See irrelevant.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for relevant

Deep, situational, and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a POINT!
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But he added that the tactic ensured all “relevant” topics in the world of politics were back to the world of Paul.
Rand Paul’s Passive-Aggressive Trolling Campaign|Olivia Nuzzi|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Germane and relevant in their way, but wielding a different methodology.
When Broadway Musicals Were Dark And Subversive|Laurence Maslon|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The experts there said the material and the riveting was what would have been used in the relevant time period.
How Amelia's Plane Was Found|Michael Daly|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The question, almost akin to a riddle, is certainly a relevant one to anybody in a creative field.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Portrait illustrations have been moved to relevant places in the text.
New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 5, August, 1915|Various
Is there anything else you can think of now that might be relevant?
Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
This I do, because it does not seem to me relevant to the matter in hand.
The Arena|Various
These little matters, relevant and irrelevant, being thus disposed of, Ben continued his narrative as follows.
The Penang Pirate|John Conroy Hutcheson
It is not relevant to the present purpose to pursue the arguments of the October meeting.
Sir William Wallace|A. F. Murison

British Dictionary definitions for relevant

relevant

/ (ˈrɛlɪvənt) /

adjective

having direct bearing on the matter in hand; pertinent

linguistics another word for distinctive (def. 2)

Derived Forms

relevance or relevancy, nounrelevantly, adverb

Word Origin for relevant

C16: from Medieval Latin relevans, from Latin relevāre to lighten, from re- + levāre to raise, relieve

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