relative

relative
[[t]re̱lətɪv[/t]]
♦♦♦
relatives
1) N-COUNT Your relatives are the members of your family.

Do relatives of yours still live in Siberia?...

Get a relative to look after the children.

Syn:
2) ADJ: ADJ n You use relative to say that something is true to a certain degree, especially when compared with other things of the same kind.

The fighting resumed after a period of relative calm...

It is a cancer that can be cured with relative ease...

Pedestrian zones mean that children can play in relative safety.

Syn:
3) ADJ: ADJ n You use relative when you are comparing the quality or size of two things.

They chatted about the relative merits of London and Paris as places to live...

I reflected on the relative importance of education in 50 countries.

...the relative strength of the central and state governments.

4) PHR-PREP Relative to something means with reference to it or in comparison with it.

Japanese interest rates rose relative to America's...

House prices now look cheap relative to earnings...

The satellite remains in one spot relative to the earth's surface.

Syn:
in relation to
5) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ If you say that something is relative, you mean that it needs to be considered and judged in relation to other things.

Fitness is relative; one must always ask `Fit for what?'...

Truth is relative.

Ant:
6) N-COUNT: usu N of n If one animal, plant, language, or invention is a relative of another, they have both developed from the same type of animal, plant, language, or invention.

The pheasant is a close relative of the Guinea hen.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
(to something else), , , , / , , , , , / , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Relative — can refer to: *Kinship, the principle binding the most basic social units society. If two people are connected by circumstances of birth, they are said to be relatives Physics*Relativity as a concept in physics (for example Albert Einstein s… …   Wikipedia

  • relative — rel‧a‧tive [ˈrelətɪv] adjective having a particular value or quality when compared with similar things: • the relative strength of the dollar • IBM was a relative latecomer to the laptop market. relatively adverb : • The system is relatively easy …   Financial and business terms

  • relative — rel·a·tive adj 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 …   Law dictionary

  • Relative — Rel a*tive (r?l ? t?v), a. [F. relatif, L. relativus. See {Relate}.] 1. Having relation or reference; referring; respecting; standing in connection; pertaining; as, arguments not relative to the subject. [1913 Webster] I ll have grounds More… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • relative — [rel′ə tiv] adj. [< MFr or L: MFr relatif < L relativus < L relatus: see RELATE] 1. related each to the other; dependent upon or referring to each other [to stay in the same relative positions] 2. having to do with; pertinent; relevant… …   English World dictionary

  • relative — ● relative nom féminin Proposition relative. ● relatif, relative adjectif (latin médiéval relativus, du latin classique relatum, de referre, rapporter) Qui se rapporte à quelqu un, à quelque chose, qui les concerne : Les questions relatives à l… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • relative — ► ADJECTIVE 1) considered in relation or in proportion to something else. 2) existing or possessing a characteristic only in comparison to something else: months of relative calm ended in April. 3) Grammar (of a pronoun, determiner, or adverb)… …   English terms dictionary

  • Relative — Rel a*tive, n. One who, or that which, relates to, or is considered in its relation to, something else; a relative object or term; one of two object or term; one of two objects directly connected by any relation. Specifically: (a) A person… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • relative — [adj1] comparative, respective about, allied, analogous, approximate, associated, concerning, conditional, connected, contingent, corresponding, dependent, in regard to, near, parallel, proportionate, reciprocal, referring, related, relating to,… …   New thesaurus

  • relative — Under Title 11 U.S.C. Section 101: (45) The term relative means individual related by affinity or consanguinity within the third degree as determined by the common law, or individual in a step or adoptive relationship within such third degree.… …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • relative — (n.) late 14c., a relative pronoun, from O.Fr. relatif (13c.), from L.L. relativus having reference or relation, from L. relatus, pp. of referre to refer. Meaning person in the same family first recorded 1650s; the adj. is attested from 1520s …   Etymology dictionary

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