relative to

preposition

: with regard to : in connection with

Examples of relative to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Brazil’s ethanol pivot and India’s sugar imports Higher energy prices are also making ethanol more attractive relative to sugar in Brazil, where mills can shift cane between the two products. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 6 Sep. 2026

This means the stars on one side of the sky will appear to shift their positions by about nine degrees, relative to stars on the other side of the sky! — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026

And a good chunk of the offense underperformed last year relative to expectations. — Zach Berman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

It is widely used for navigation since the north-south lines have constant true bearings relative to the equator. — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for relative to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou

Kids Definition

relative to

preposition

: in relation to

the angle of the pole relative to the ground