Definition of relative
People Are Reading
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.
14th Century
First Known Use of relative
14th century
Other Genetics Terms
relative
Definition 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 (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
Examples of relative in a Sentence
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.
15th Century
First Known Use of relative
15th century
RELATIVE Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of relative for English Language Learners
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: a member of your family
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: something that belongs to the same group as something else because of shared characteristics, qualities, etc.
relative
Definition of relative for English Language Learners
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: compared to someone or something else or to each other
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: seeming to be something when compared with others
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grammar : referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier
RELATIVE Defined for Kids
Definition of relative for Students
: a person connected with another by ancestry or marriage
Law Dictionary
relative
Legal Definition of relative
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
adverbLearn More about relative
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for relative Spanish Central: Translation of relative Nglish: Translation of relative for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of relative for Arabic speakers
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