relevance

noun

rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vən(t)s 

1

a

: relation to the matter at hand

b

: practical and especially social applicability : pertinence

giving relevance to college courses

2

: the ability (as of an information retrieval system) to retrieve material that satisfies the needs of the user

Synonyms

• applicability
• bearing
• connection
• materiality
• pertinence
• relevancy

Examples of relevance in a Sentence

I appreciate that you did the dishes tonight, but that has no relevance to my enforcement of the punishment you got earlier this week.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the true relevance of NFTs, in my opinion, was more in their development of a community aspect and social functionality. —George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2024

Legal experts who previously spoke to ABC News about Trump's application of presidential immunity in the New York case were skeptical of the relevance of the ruling, in part because the conduct largely relates to Trump's private actions as a presidential candidate. —Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 11 July 2024

The current disruption raises several critical questions about the relevance, direction, and resilience of DEI as a discipline and a standard business practice. —Essence, 6 July 2024

Fashion Council Germany, which hadn’t been involved previously, took over in 2022 and has been on a mission to boost Berlin Fashion Week’s relevance in the industry, fueled by over €4 million in investment from Berlin’s Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. —Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

relevance

noun

rel·​e·​vance ˈrel-ə-vən(t)s 

: relation to the matter at hand : pertinence

Legal Definition

relevance

noun

rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vəns 

: the quality or state of being relevant : relation to the matter at hand

ruled on the relevance of the testimony

relevance in discovery has been broadly interpreted