relative to

preposition

: with regard to : in connection with

Examples of relative to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Outages and damage to refineries from global conflicts, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Middle East, have created tightness in global fuel markets this year, pushing product prices sharply higher relative to crude. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Bichette didn’t have the strongest season, relative to his history. — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026

In states like Oklahoma and Florida that have adopted these new SNAP restrictions to discourage unhealthy diets, the number of convenience stores participating in the program has fallen relative to other states that haven’t made these changes. — Benjamin Chrisinger, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2026

The overbuild risk The market may already have overbuilt relative to the payback window that data center financing assumes. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 28 Oct. 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