relative

REL-uh-tiv/ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/

10 meanings of relative

1
nouncountable
A person who belongs to your family by blood, marriage, or adoption.
Like a branch on your family tree: part of the same family.
My favorite relative is my aunt who lives near the beach.
All her relatives came to the wedding last summer.
Similarrelation, kinsman, kinswoman
2
adjective
Decided by comparing it with something else, not on its own.
Like calling someone 'tall': it only means something next to other people.
The relative size of the two rooms is easy to compare.
How rich you feel is relative and changes with your situation.
Similarcomparative
Oppositeabsolute
Note
3
adjective
Given by comparing it to another value, not as a full amount on its own.
Like giving directions as 'two doors down' instead of a full street address.
The program used a relative path instead of the full file address.
We measured the relative change in price since last year.
Oppositeabsolute
Note
4
nounfigurativelycountable
Something that is similar to or closely linked with another thing.
Like cousins: not the same, but clearly from one family.
The wolf is a close relative of the domestic dog.
Modern jazz has many relatives among older blues styles.
Similarcousin
5
adjective
Used to point back to a word or idea named earlier in the sentence.
Like a string tying a new word back to one you already said.
The word 'who' is a relative pronoun in that sentence.
A relative clause adds extra information about a noun.
Note
6
adjective
In music, describing two keys that use the same notes but one is major and one is minor.
Like two siblings who share the same home but have different moods.
A minor is the relative minor of C major.
Every major key has a relative minor built on the same notes.
Note
7
adjective
Able to change depending on other people or the situation, not fixed.
Like the weather: it changes depending on where and when you are.
Right and wrong can feel relative when a choice is hard.
The value of money is relative to where you live.
Similarsubjective, dependent, conditional
Oppositeabsolute
8
adverbUS
Alternative form of relatively, meaning fairly. It is informal and many people see it as an error.
The hike was relative easy compared with the one last week.
Things stayed relative calm after the storm passed.
Note
9
nouncountable
In some African languages, a word that describes a noun but changes form like a relative clause, not like an adjective.
Like a word that dresses up as a describing word but acts like a small sentence.
In that language, a relative behaves more like a clause than a simple describing word.
Students learned how relatives change their endings to match the noun.
Note

Less common meaning

10
adjectivearchaic
Connected to the matter being discussed and having a clear link to it.
Like sticking to the point instead of wandering off.
Please keep your comments relative to the topic we are discussing.
The lawyer asked only questions that were relative to the case.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Latin, from a word meaning "to carry back." It came into English through French.