relatively

rel·a·tive·ly | \ ˈre-lə-tiv-lē

How to pronounce relatively (audio)

\

Definition of relatively

: to a relative degree or extent : somewhat a relatively small group of people relatively cool weather The house is relatively new.

relatively speaking

1 : when compared to others that are similar The procedure was quick, relatively speaking. Relatively speaking, the movie wasn't bad.

2 —used to say that something is true or correct as a general statement even if it is not entirely true or correctThe trip was, relatively speaking, a disaster.

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about relatively

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of relatively in a Sentence

these newly acquired in-laws felt relatively comfortable at our family reunion

Recent Examples on the Web And while these are relatively easy to spot clean and then throw into the wash, shoppers should keep in mind that canvas tends to show its age. — Banu Ibrahim, CNN Underscored, "White sneakers that won’t get ruined on their first use," 8 July 2020 More than 20% of Americans actually live in those relatively few counties. — Hope Yen And Calvin Woodward, Houston Chronicle, "AP FACT CHECK: Trump falsely says 99% of virus cases benign," 5 July 2020 The Northern Neck Heritage Trail Bicycling Route, part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, includes four relatively easy routes for exploring fishing villages, historic sites, and farmlands. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, "Best Places to Travel in August," 2 July 2020 Thompson, who has one of the bigger frames out of the quarterbacks in attendance, was not only fluid with his drops, but looked comfortable on his rollouts and flashed the ability to make difficult off-platform throws look relatively easy. — oregonlive, "Ty Thompson, Oregon Ducks quarterback commit, earns ‘Alpha Dog’ award on Day 2 of Elite 11 camp," 1 July 2020 Trends for some of the smallest counties with relatively few cases are less reliable to identify. — Rich Exner, cleveland, "Where are Ohio’s biggest coronavirus spikes?," 30 June 2020 Germany is one of relatively few countries to split accounting enforcement between a private-sector watchdog and its markets regulator, while the investigation of money laundering at non-financial companies is handled by regional authorities. — BostonGlobe.com, "Cirque du Soleil files for bankruptcy," 29 June 2020 In theory, resolving factual disputes should be relatively easy: Just present strong evidence, or evidence of a strong expert consensus. — Adrian Bardon, Scientific American, "Coronavirus Responses Highlight How Humans Have Evolved to Dismiss Facts That Don’t Fit Their Worldview," 26 June 2020 The removable, six-quart, heat-saver stoneware is dishwasher-safe, so it’s all relatively easy to clean. — Leeron Hoory, Popular Science, "Top smart appliances for your kitchen," 24 June 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about relatively

Dictionary Entries near relatively

relative index of refraction

relative-in-law

relative location

relatively prime

relative motion

Statistics for relatively

Last Updated

11 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Relatively.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relatively. Accessed 12 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

frisson

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.