relative
pronunciation
How to pronounce relative in British English:
UK [ˈrelətɪv]
How to pronounce relative in American English:
US [ˈrelətɪv]
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- Noun:
- a person related by blood or marriage
- an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as related by common descent or by membership in the same genus)
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- Adjective:
- not absolute or complete
- properly related in size or degree or other measurable characteristics; usually followed by `to'
Word Origin
- relative (n.)
- late 14c., "a relative pronoun," from Old French relatif (13c.), from Late Latin relativus "having reference or relation," from Latin relatus, past participle of referre "to refer" (see refer). Meaning "person in the same family" first recorded 1650s.
- relative (adj.)
- early 15c., "having reference," from Middle French relatif and directly from Late Latin relativus (see relative (n.)). Meaning "compared to each other" is from 1590s; that of "depending on a relationship to something else" is from 1610s.
Synonym
father-in-law relation kissing great-aunt cousin kinsman grandfather brother grand-aunt stepbrother kin sister-in-law member stepsister stepfather mother sister father grandson nephew grand-daughter great-uncle of sibling grandmother aunt stepmother niece near cognate grand-uncle in-law blood relative uncle mother-in-law brother-in-law next family agnate kinswoman
applicable befitting congruous proper suitable apposite appropriate suited fitting pertinent apt relevant to relative relating meet pat pertaining referring due germane
Antonym
Example
- 1. They can make relative judgments with some confidence .
- 2. Here is an example of some colors and their relative value .
- 3. He expects the relative price of an internet ad to rise .
- 4. Is that they are not in relative terms all that large .
- 5. But it left some $ 20 billion in unfunded commitments relative to the earlier projections .