relevance

noun

rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vən(t)s How to pronounce relevance (audio)
1
a
: relation to the matter at hand
b
: practical and especially social applicability : pertinence
giving relevance to college courses
2
: the ability (as of an information retrieval system) to retrieve material that satisfies the needs of the user

Examples of relevance in a Sentence

I appreciate that you did the dishes tonight, but that has no relevance to my enforcement of the punishment you got earlier this week.
Recent Examples on the Web That approach reflects unique security needs that have gained new relevance since the start of the war in Gaza. Annie Karni, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Maybe TikTok won’t rapidly lose its relevance with young people after all. Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2024 Nowhere more than Detroit, arguably the Blackest big city in America, is the political relevance of race more obvious — and more potent. Keith A. Owens, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell are all back as the band continues their climb back to relevance. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024 Outsourced teams may not have a deep understanding of the business context, industry-specific requirements or strategic technical goals—which can impact the relevance and effectiveness of AI solutions. Shaveer Mirpuri, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 That doesn’t change the fact that nowhere more than Detroit, arguably the Blackest big city in America, is the political relevance of race more obvious — and more potent. Keith A. Owens, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Taking the stage after winning the award for Best International Feature Film, Glazer said that his film about the Holocaust has a lot of relevance to the present moment. Christian Holub, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Other sponsors of relevance to the entertainment industry include Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, SiriusXM, Amazon MGM Studios, and Disney’s own film studio. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relevance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of relevance was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near relevance

Cite this Entry

“Relevance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevance. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

relevance

noun
rel·​e·​vance ˈrel-ə-vən(t)s How to pronounce relevance (audio)
: relation to the matter at hand : pertinence

Legal Definition

relevance

noun
rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vəns How to pronounce relevance (audio)
: the quality or state of being relevant : relation to the matter at hand
ruled on the relevance of the testimony
relevance in discovery has been broadly interpreted

More from Merriam-Webster on relevance

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