definitions

relevant

[ rel-uh-vuhnt ]
/ ˈrɛl ə vənt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR relevant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

RELATED CONTENT

The Meteoric Rise Of The Word “Influencer”The word influencer has been used in English since the mid-1600s, though of course back then it wasn’t a job title.
READ MORE
The Top Baby Names Are Actually NounsWant your child to stand out on the preschool roster? Going with a strong noun name is an all-American tradition. Below are some names that you may not have even realized were nouns. And, with a little help from Babylist (who we love because they named the dictionary and thesaurus as some of the top ways to pick a baby name), we've ranked awesome noun-inspired names based on the most popular from this year. That way, you can either be in on the trend ... or go the complete opposite (unique, unpronounceable, but amazingly you) way with your dream baby name.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

pertinent, suited, germane, consistent, applicable, related, compatible, admissible, important, significant, proper, suitable, accordant, allowable, apposite, apt, becoming, cognate, concerning, conforming

Nearby words

relegation, relent, relentless, relenza, relevance, relevant, releve, relevé, relexify, reliability, reliable

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
Related forms

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

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 Formsrelevance 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

Word Origin and History for relevant

relevant

adj.

"pertinent to the matter at hand," 1550s, from Middle French relevant "depending upon," originally "helpful," from Medieval Latin relevantem (nominative relevans), from stem of Latin relevare "to lessen, lighten" (see relieve). Not generally used until after 1800.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper