relative
Americannoun
adjective
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considered in relation to something else; comparative.
the relative merits of democracy and monarchy.
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existing or having its specific nature only by relation to something else; not absolute or independent.
Happiness is relative.
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having relation or connection.
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having reference or regard; relevant; pertinent (usually followed byto ).
to determine the facts relative to an accident.
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correspondent; proportionate.
Value is relative to demand.
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(of a term, name, etc.) depending for significance upon something else.
“Better” is a relative term.
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Grammar.
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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.
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noting or pertaining to a relative clause.
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idioms
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it’s all relative. it's all relative.
adjective
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having meaning or significance only in relation to something else; not absolute
a relative value
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(prenominal) (of a scientific quantity) being measured or stated relative to some other substance or measurement Compare absolute
relative humidity
relative density
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(prenominal) comparative or respective
the relative qualities of speed and accuracy
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in proportion (to); corresponding (to)
earnings relative to production
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having reference (to); pertinent (to)
matters not relative to the topic under discussion
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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
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grammar denoting or relating to a clause ( relative clause ) that modifies a noun or pronoun occurring earlier in the sentence
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(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
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a person who is related by blood or marriage; relation
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a relative pronoun, clause, or grammatical construction
Other Word Forms
- nonrelative noun
- nonrelatively adverb
- nonrelativeness noun
- relativeness noun
- unrelative adjective
- unrelatively adverb
Etymology
Origin of relative
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English relatif (noun), either from Middle French or from Late Latin relātīvus (adjective); relate, -ive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
All things considered, “we do believe the valuation is low relative to the potential we believe Vykat XR has in the U.S. alone,” Kluska wrote.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
She pointed to Wall Street analysts’ rising earnings forecasts and the fact that the U.S. labor market remains on steady footing as two reasons that could possibly explain U.S. stocks’ relative resilience.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
Actual losses right now are already higher than they should be relative to the environment, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
Mollins added this is being driven by both vehicle units and average selling prices, but with a “smaller outperformance gap relative to forecasts from earlier in the quarter.”
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
The relative size of the spheres and the extent of their displacement with regard to each other determines the size of the zone of dry land.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.