relative

noun rel·a·tive \ ˈre-lə-tiv \

Updated on: 9 Dec 2017

Definition of relative

1 : a word referring grammatically to an antecedent

2 : a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on another thing

3 a : a person connected with another by blood or affinity

b : an animal or plant related to another by common descent

4 : a relative term

See relative defined for English-language learners

See relative defined for kids

Examples of relative in a Sentence

At the family reunion, I saw relatives I haven't seen in years.
He inherited a small piece of land from a distant relative.
The donkey is a relative of the horse.

Recent Examples of relative from the Web

Some people were infected while caring for sick relatives.

— Washington Post, "The story must be told.," 3 Nov. 2017
The brazen crimes led investigators to seek permission to run a familial DNA search in order to look for a biological relative who might be in the system.

— teri figueroa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Creeper' pleads guilty to molesting girls," 27 Oct. 2017
The counselor then had Atkinson diagram her family tree, to pinpoint other relatives who might also carry the dangerous variant.

— bijal p. trivedi, Science | AAAS, "Is health care ready for routine DNA screening? A massive new trial will find out," 26 Oct. 2017
Previously, according to Reuters, information was just collected for relatives with ties to the United States.

— jen kirby, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump’s Refugee Ban Is Ending, But New Stricter Requirements Are Coming," 24 Oct. 2017
In addition to his wife, Barbara, and daughter, Angie, Osborne is survived by another daughter, Kori Blue; son-in-laws, TJ Ruberg and Jason Blue; grandchildren Kelsey, Jake and Alli Ruberg and Makenna Blue; as well as other relatives.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "Former Enquirer IT director was instrumental in company's Y2K transition," 11 Oct. 2017
The family follows a duty and obligation to assist with arrangements for relatives from the old country to find their way to America for work and better life opportunities.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Arthur Miller's 'View' unites Goodman audiences with Oct. 22 extension," 3 Oct. 2017
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are hosting a private observance for victims' relatives there at 9:11 a.m. Monday.

— jennifer peltz, chicagotribune.com, "U.S. commemorates 9/11; ceremony begins at ground zero," 11 Sep. 2017
He was arrested on Aug. 9 and is accused of grabbing a relative's arm and scratching her, according to lawyers involved in the case.

— robert mccoppin, McHenry County, "McHenry Co. sheriff sued for not releasing immigrant detainee under new law," 8 Sep. 2017

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

First Known Use of relative

14th century

relative Synonyms

Synonyms

cousin, kin, kinsman, relation

Antonyms

nonrelative

Related Words

in-law; kissing cousin; kinswoman; blood, clan, family, folk, house, kindred, kinfolk (or kinfolks), kinsfolk, line, lineage, people, race, stock, tribe

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

relative

adjective

Definition of relative

1 : introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent

a relative pronoun

; also : introduced by such a connective

a relative clause

2 : relevant, pertinent

matters relative to world peace

3 : not absolute or independent : comparative

the relative isolation of life in the country

4 : having the same key signature —used of major and minor keys and scales

5 : expressed as the ratio of the specified quantity (such as an error in measuring) to the total magnitude (such as the value of a measured quantity) or to the mean of all the quantities involved

See relative defined for English-language learners

Examples of relative in a Sentence

the relative value of two houses
the relative positions of the islands
We discussed the relative merits of each school.
“Who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “that” are all relative pronouns.
The phrase “that won” in “the book that won” is a relative clause.

Recent Examples of relative from the Web

First, there’s the relative certainty of the suspension.

— peter dawson, star-telegram, "Elliott ruling lowers Cowboys’ Super Bowl odds, but still high for a 4-3 team," 1 Nov. 2017
And for him, outfits and beauty and relative toughness make all the difference.

— sarah rense, Esquire, "James Cameron Should Do Himself a Favor and Shut Up," 27 Sep. 2017
Unmentioned are the actual ratings on the shows relative, to say, ten years ago.

— james warren, vanityfair.com, "Trump Exposes His Empathy Gap with Puerto Rico," 26 Sep. 2017
Most surprising of all was the relative lack of craters, suggesting that Pluto’s surface is regularly renewed.

— The Economist, "Exploring the outer solar systemTwo years on, the Kuiper Belt is in sight," 14 Sep. 2017
The firm and its peers have been raising money with relative ease, as pensions, sovereign-wealth funds and other large investors seek alternatives to stocks and bonds in an era of high valuations.

— matt jarzemsky, WSJ, "Apollo’s Profit Falls on Commodity-Price Swings," 2 Aug. 2017
Despite the relative lack of bloodshed, the incident had a remarkably long afterlife.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "On Evil May Day, Londoners Rioted Over Foreigners Stealing Their Jobs," 1 May 2017
Recent years have brought a relative calm to the country, with the first widespread representative elections held this past February.

— amanda sperber, The Atlantic, "Out of Tragedy, An Opportunity for Somalia," 17 Oct. 2017
Business groups that back the free trade agreement are likely to be reassured by the relative calm of this week’s meeting, which came after sharp criticism of the deal a few weeks ago from President Donald Trump.

— paul page, WSJ, "Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ," 5 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of relative

15th century

relative Synonyms

Synonyms

almost, approximate, near, comparative

Antonyms

absolute, complete, downright, out-and-out, outright, perfect, pure, unqualified

Related Words

alike, comparable, similar; equal, equivalent

Near Antonyms

genuine, real, true

RELATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

relative

noun

Definition of relative for English Language Learners

: a member of your family
: something that belongs to the same group as something else because of shared characteristics, qualities, etc.

relative

adjective

Definition of relative for English Language Learners

: compared to someone or something else or to each other
: seeming to be something when compared with others
grammar : referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier

RELATIVE Defined for Kids

relative

noun rel·a·tive \ ˈre-lə-tiv \

Definition of relative for Students

: a person connected with another by ancestry or marriage

relative

adjective

Definition of relative for Students

1 : existing in comparison to something else

What is the relative value of the two houses?

2 : relevant

Please ask questions relative to the topic.

—

relatively

adverb

It's been a relatively dry year.

Law Dictionary

relative

adjective rel·a·tive

legal Definition of relative

1 : not absolute

2 in the civil law of Louisiana : having or allowing some legal effect

a relative impediment

a relative simulation

— see also relative nullity at nullity

—

relatively

adverb

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relative Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

Other Genetics Terms

relative

Definition of relative

Examples of relative in a Sentence

Recent Examples of relative from the Web

First Known Use of relative

relative Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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RELATIVE Defined for English Language Learners

relative

Definition of relative for English Language Learners

relative

Definition of relative for English Language Learners

RELATIVE Defined for Kids

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Definition of relative for Students

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relative

legal Definition of relative

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