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”; see 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.
The V4 model also uses “Sparse Attention,” a technique unveiled last year that enables the model to focus only on the most relevant parts rather than processing everything at once.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
A spokesperson added: "The woman involved has given us permission to share this information and she continues to be supported by the relevant services."
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
It recasts every piece of art by every artist throughout the single-story space as equally relevant.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
“What is relevant for the U.S. economy is consumption.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
The really relevant experimental details were those which might provide clues in constructing molecular models.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
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.
