rel·a·tive
ˈre-lə-tiv 
1
: introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent
a relative pronoun
also
: introduced by such a connective
a relative clause
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
Synonyms
Examples of relative in a Sentence
Noun
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.
Adjective
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 on the Web
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
That was likely to further escalate fears among the families of the remaining captives in Gaza that their relatives might have already suffered the same fate.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
In this hellish landscape, ‘standing’ is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for relative 
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Noun
The identities of the other victims have not been released, but a list provided by the medical examiner’s office includes streets where families suspect their relatives may have died.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
That was likely to further escalate fears among the families of the remaining captives in Gaza that their relatives might have already suffered the same fate.
—Aaron Boxerman, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
Here is the story of a Stonewall brick that can be told with relative certainty: In 2019, Kurt Kelly, one of the bar’s current owners, was up in his office; outside, construction workers were zhuzhing up the building’s façade, in anticipation of the uprising’s fiftieth anniversary.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
In this hellish landscape, ‘standing’ is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us.
—Ashley Hume, Fox News, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for relative
Articles Related to relative
Dictionary Entries Near relative
Cite this Entry
“Relative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relative. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
relative
1 of 2 noun
rel·a·tive
ˈrel-ət-iv
1
: a word referring grammatically to one that comes before it
2
: a person connected with another by blood or marriage
relative
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: introducing a subordinate clause that qualifies an expressed or implied antecedent
relative pronoun
b
: introduced by a word having such an antecedent
relative clause
3
: existing in comparison to something else
the relative value of two houses
4
: having the same key signature
—used of major and minor keys and scales
relativeness
noun
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