relational

[ ri-ley-shuh-nl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to relations.
2. indicating or specifying some relation.
3. Grammar. serving to indicate relations between various elements in a sentence, as prepositions, conjunctions, etc. Compare notional ( def 6 ).

relational

/ rɪˈleɪʃənəl /

adjective

1. grammar indicating or expressing syntactic relation, as for example the case endings in Latin
2. having relation or being related
3. computing based on data stored in a tabular form

   a relational database

Other Words From

• nonre·lation·al adjective
• unre·lation·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of relational¹

First recorded in 1655–65; relation + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Stronger relationsThe changes mark a significant milestone in Medium’s move toward what Williams described as “relational media” in 2020.

From Digiday

Instead, Rovelli argues we should adopt a “relational” worldview.

From Singularity Hub 

If so, this could be an opening for a move in the exact opposite direction, toward a more relational culture.

From Quartz

The power of data is relational and cumulative, it is the product of many participants and users who are often unwitting in their contribution to “data labor,” and are often not compensated fairly for it.

From MIT Technology Review

“The organizational structure of FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service underwent a major reorganization in 2017, potentially further complicating the already complex relational dynamics,” auditors wrote.

From Washington Post

Just like anyone else, black women are multi-layered, complex, different, and most importantly, they are not relational.

From The Daily Beast

In other words, they express identical relational concepts in an identical manner.

From Project Gutenberg

Finally, I can radically disturb the relational cut of the sentence by changing the order of its elements.

From Project Gutenberg

Statement as such and personal reference may well be looked upon as inherently relational concepts.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the four concepts inextricably interwoven in the -s suffix, all are felt as relational, two necessarily so.

From Project Gutenberg

We are thus once more reminded of the distinction between essential or unavoidable relational concepts and the dispensable type.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• comparative
• related
• relative