relationship

noun re·la·tion·ship \ ri-ˈlā-shən-ˌship \

1 : the state of being related or interrelated

studied the relationship between the variables

2 : the relation connecting or binding participants in a relationship: such as

a : kinship

b : a specific instance or type of kinship

3 a : a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings

had a good relationship with his family

b : a romantic or passionate attachment

See relationship defined for English-language learners

See relationship defined for kids

Examples of relationship in a Sentence

The relationship between the two countries has improved.
She has a close relationship with her sister.
She has had many bad relationships.
I am not in a relationship right now.
the relationship between mental and physical health
“What is your relationship to the witness?” “He is my father.”

Recent Examples of relationship from the Web

In these cases, the party respected the relationships and intentions of our most prominent leaders.

— greg bluestein, ajc, "Prominent Dem unloads on party for attacking Norwood," 29 Nov. 2017
But plausible relationship and potential links don’t add up to cannabis causing the baby’s death.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "First-ever marijuana overdose death? Let’s review what “potential link” means," 17 Nov. 2017
New traces of ammonia on Ceres hint at a much closer relationship between the pair.

— nola taylor redd, Discover Magazine, "Pluto and Ceres: Long Lost Twins?," 10 Nov. 2017
My favorite travel mate (okay, my boyfriend) has a different relationship with Google Maps.

— ali slagle, GQ, "The Built-In Travel Tool in Your Phone That You're Not Using," 2 Nov. 2017
Nowadays, Lopez is in a relationship with Alex Rodriguez and completely slaying her career.

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Her Dramatic Split from Ben Affleck," 1 Nov. 2017
The unit also should benefit from growth in Microsoft’s Dynamics business, which sells software and services to help sales representatives manage customer relationships and finance departments manage corporate resources.

— jay greene, WSJ, "Microsoft Earnings: What to Watch," 26 Oct. 2017
Each of them has a different relationship with the president.

— betsy z. russell, idahostatesman, "Senators’ feuds with Trump shouldn’t be public, says Risch | Idaho Statesman," 25 Oct. 2017
Conner also told Buzzfeed that almost all of the exes were from middle school and that her relationships with the, were nothing serious, though that context was missing from the social media posts.

— rosemary donahue, Allure, "For Halloween, This Woman Dressed as the Scariest Thing of All: Commitment," 31 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'relationship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of relationship

1741

relationship Synonyms

Other Psychology Terms

fetish, hypochondria, intelligence, mania, narcissism, neurosis, pathological, psychosis, schadenfreude, subliminal

RELATIONSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

relationship

noun

: the way in which two or more people, groups, countries, etc., talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other
: a romantic or sexual friendship between two people
: the way in which two or more people or things are connected