relative

[ rel-uh-tiv ]

noun

1. a person who is connected with another or others by blood or marriage.
2. something having, or standing in, some relation or connection to something else.
3. something dependent upon external conditions for its specific nature, size, etc. ( absolute ).
4. Grammar. a relative pronoun, adjective, or adverb.

adjective

1. considered in relation to something else; comparative:

   the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.

2. existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent:

   Happiness is relative.

3. having relation or connection.
4. having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually followed by to ):

   to determine the facts relative to an accident.

5. correspondent; proportionate:

   Value is relative to demand.

6. (of a term, name, etc.) depending for significance upon something else:

   “Better” is a relative term.

7. Grammar.
   1. noting or pertaining to a word that introduces a subordinate clause of which it is, or is a part of, the subject or predicate and that refers to an expressed or implied element of the principal clause (the antecedent), as the relative pronoun who in He's the man who saw you or the relative adverb where in This is the house where she was born.
   2. noting or pertaining to a relative clause.

relative

/ ˈrɛlətɪv /

adjective

1. having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolute

   a relative value

2. prenominal (of a scientific quantity) being measured or stated relative to some other substance or measurement Compare absolute

   relative density

   relative humidity

3. prenominal comparative or respective

   the relative qualities of speed and accuracy

4. postpositivefoll byto in proportion (to); corresponding (to)

   earnings relative to production

5. having reference (to); pertinent (to)

   matters not relative to the topic under discussion

6. grammar denoting or belonging to a class of words that function as subordinating conjunctions in introducing relative clauses. In English, relative pronouns and determiners include who, which, and that Compare demonstrative interrogative
7. grammar denoting or relating to a clause ( relative clause ) that modifies a noun or pronoun occurring earlier in the sentence
8. (of a musical key or scale) having the same key signature as another key or scale

   C major is the relative major of A minor

noun

1. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relation
2. a relative pronoun, clause, or grammatical construction

Derived Forms

• ˈrelativeness, noun

Other Words From

• non·rel·a·tive noun adjective
• non·rel·a·tive·ly adverb
• non·rel·a·tive·ness noun
• un·rel·a·tive adjective
• un·rel·a·tive·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of relative¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English relatif (noun), either from Middle French or from Late Latin relātīvus (adjective); relate, -ive

Word History and Origins

Origin of relative¹

C16: from Late Latin relātīvus referring

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. it’s all relative. it's all relative ( def ).

Example Sentences

It also provided information about the relative abundance of every mRNA copy, which gives clues as to how much a gene is expressed in different tissues and times.

From Science Daily

The relative humidity proved the key factor affecting the reactor performance.

From Science Daily

When Johnson rose from relative obscurity to the Speaker position, one of the few pieces of information that journalists dug up was that he had been in a documentary about "purity balls" in 2015.

From Salon

The IDF says it’s investigating the incident, but Hanan’s grieving relatives have little hope or expectation that her killer will be brought to justice.

From BBC

The pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside their close relatives, the dinosaurs.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• analogous
• corresponding
• proportionate
• related