relative

1 of 2

noun

rel·​a·​tive ˈre-lə-tiv 

1

: a word referring grammatically to an antecedent

2

: a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on another thing

3

a

: a person connected with another by blood or affinity

b

: an animal or plant related to another by common descent

4

: a relative term

relative

2 of 2

adjective

1

: introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent

a relative pronoun

also : introduced by such a connective

a relative clause

2

: relevant, pertinent

matters relative to world peace

3

: not absolute or independent : comparative

the relative isolation of life in the country

4

: having the same key signature

—used of major and minor keys and scales

5

: expressed as the ratio of the specified quantity (such as an error in measuring) to the total magnitude (such as the value of a measured quantity) or to the mean of all the quantities involved

Synonyms

Noun

• cousin
• kin
• kinsman
• relation

Adjective

• almost
• approximate
• comparative
• near

Examples of relative in a Sentence

Noun

At the family reunion, I saw relatives I haven't seen in years.

He inherited a small piece of land from a distant relative.

The donkey is a relative of the horse.

Adjective

the relative value of two houses

the relative positions of the islands

We discussed the relative merits of each school.

“Who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “that” are all relative pronouns.

The phrase “that won” in “the book that won” is a relative clause.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Investigators later said the driver was unaware of the scam call that Brock had received with threats and demands for money, citing an incarcerated relative. —Mark Scolforo, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024

About half of student parents nationwide rely entirely on relatives for child care. —Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024

These two bones appear about 13 million years after their latest geologic relatives. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 17 Apr. 2024

Lately, though, that cultural pessimism seems to have come closer to home: fear of neighbors with a different flag in their apartment windows, anger at other parents in the school pickup line with the wrong stickers on their bumpers, even disdain for close relatives at the Thanksgiving table. —Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024

Now that the Sasquatch Sunset is complete and arriving in theaters on April 19, Eisenberg wanted to surprise some of the animals who informed his Sasquatch performance: bonobos, one of humanity's closest animal relatives. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024

Bebe Hodges The Hamilton County Coroner's Office is seeking any relatives or friends of Zachary Parker. —The Enquirer, 16 Apr. 2024

If the application is pending at the U.S. National Visa Center, such as a petition for a green card for a relative, applicants may contact the center at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry to request a transfer to another immigrant visa processing post. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

On March 26, Trump was barred from commenting on potential witnesses in the case, prospective jurors, court staff, lawyers in Bragg's office and the relatives of any counsel or court staffer — but was free to attack Bragg and Merchan. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Adjective

This year, the department withheld the usual 10% as a baseline, then subtracted another 7% to adjust for the decrease in relative poverty. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

Also, what is the harm in having your baby have a similar, or exact name as a friend or relative? —Kristina Behr, Parents, 10 Apr. 2024

This act of metrology will allow precise tracking of the relative position and orientation of the two spacecraft. —IEEE Spectrum, 10 Apr. 2024

Also, about 18 years and 11 days after an eclipse, the sun, Earth and moon will return to about the same relative positions, and a near-identical eclipse will occur. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024

However, the company’s three-year relative TSR between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2023 was 189%, landing it at the 99th percentile relative to the S&P 500. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024

Since then, relative calm has returned to Alice Springs, or Mparntwe, its traditional name. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

As climate change continues to fuel more fires, the relative increase in area burned will be much bigger. —Mark Kreider, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024

Looking at the 1%'s wealth share in those places, the group held 30% in Germany, but just 21% in the other two countries, showing some differences in relative inequality. —Katharina Buchholz, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing relative

• blood relative
• it's all relative
• relative humidity
• relative to
• relative wind

Kids Definition

relative

1 of 2 noun

rel·​a·​tive ˈrel-ət-iv 

1

: a word referring grammatically to one that comes before it

2

: a person connected with another by blood or marriage

relative

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: introducing a subordinate clause that qualifies an expressed or implied antecedent

relative pronoun

b

: introduced by a word having such an antecedent

relative clause

2

: relevant, pertinent

questions relative to the topic

3

: existing in comparison to something else

the relative value of two houses

4

: having the same key signature

—used of major and minor keys and scales

relativeness noun

Legal Definition

relative

adjective

rel·​a·​tive

1

: not absolute

2

in the civil law of Louisiana : having or allowing some legal effect

a relative impediment

a relative simulation

see also relative nullity at nullity

relatively adverb