relative

noun

rel·​a·​tive ˈre-lə-tiv 

1

a

: a person connected with another by blood or marriage

an inheritance from a distant relative

b

: an animal or plant related to another by common descent

2

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

3

: a word (such as a relative pronoun) referring grammatically to an antecedent

Synonyms of relative

• cousin
• relation

Examples of relative in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Modern birds remain the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, which went extinct about 66 million years ago after a massive asteroid struck Earth. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 June 2026

Police told relatives of the victims they would not be allowed to visit a cemetery in Beijing on the anniversary of the crackdown, a person with knowledge of the matter said. —ABC News, 4 June 2026

Prosecutors had accused Bolton of keeping and sharing diary-style notes with relatives while drafting his White House memoir, material officials say included sensitive national security details. —Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

The participants include members of church groups and synagogues, and the relatives of men being detained out of sight on the other side of the highway. —Eric Schlosser, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

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