relevant

[ rel-uh-vuhnt ]

adjective

1. bearing upon or connected with the matter in hand; pertinent:

   a relevant remark.

   Synonyms: fitting, suitable, appropriate, apposite, germane, applicable

relevant

/ ˈrɛlɪvənt /

adjective

1. having direct bearing on the matter in hand; pertinent
2. linguistics another word for distinctive

Pronunciation Note

See irrelevant.

Derived Forms

• ˈrelevance, noun
• ˈrelevantly, adverb

Other Words From

• rele·vance rele·van·cy noun
• rele·vant·ly adverb
• non·rele·vant adjective
• un·rele·vant adjective
• un·rele·vant·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of relevant¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Medieval Latin relevant-, stem of relevāns, special use of Latin present participle of relevāre “to raise, lift up”; relieve ( def ), -ant ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of relevant¹

C16: from Medieval Latin relevans , from Latin relevāre to lighten, from re- + levāre to raise, relieve

Synonym Study

See apt.

Example Sentences

That the themes explored in Maguire’s novel are just as relevant 30 years after its publication speaks to just how important “Wicked” is.

From Salon

The transfer of all GPS and ACC raw data is no longer necessary, allowing data communication with a significantly lower bandwidth to transmit the relevant information.

From Science Daily

The results are relevant for the development of novel skin cancer therapies, particularly in the field of immunotherapy.

From Science Daily

They want to make it less relevant and less effective — and cheaper, the better to preserve those tax cuts.

From Los Angeles Times

The show “Wicked” doesn’t need a movie adaptation to be relevant — it’s already a cultural phenomenon, even before this first part of a behemoth two-film Hollywood version hits theaters.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• admissible
• applicable
• compatible
• consistent
• germane
• important
• pertinent
• proper
• related
• significant
• suitable
• suited