relative
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1rel·a·tive
noun \ˈre-lə-tiv\Definition of RELATIVE
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
See Examples of RELATIVE
- 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.
First Known Use of RELATIVE
14th century
Related to RELATIVE
- Antonyms
- nonrelative
Other Genetics Terms
2relative
adjectiveDefinition of RELATIVE
1
: introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent <a relative pronoun>; also : introduced by such a connective <a relative clause>
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 (as an error in measuring) to the total magnitude (as the value of a measured quantity) or to the mean of all the quantities involved
Examples of RELATIVE
- 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.
First Known Use of RELATIVE
15th century
Related to RELATIVE
- Synonyms
- almost, approximate, near, comparative
- Antonyms
- absolute, complete, downright, out-and-out, outright, perfect, pure, unqualified
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