relatively

adverb

rel·​a·​tive·​ly ˈre-lə-tiv-lē 

: to a relative degree or extent : somewhat

a relatively small group of people

relatively cool weather

The house is relatively new.

Phrases

relatively speaking

1

: when compared to others that are similar

The procedure was quick, relatively speaking.

Relatively speaking, the movie wasn't bad.

2

—used to say that something is true or correct as a general statement even if it is not entirely true or correct

The trip was, relatively speaking, a disaster.

Synonyms

• enough
• fairly
• kind of
• kindly [chiefly Southern]
• like
• moderately
• more or less
• pretty
• quite
• rather
• something
• somewhat
• sort of

Examples of relatively in a Sentence

these newly acquired in-laws felt relatively comfortable at our family reunion

Recent Examples on the Web

The Arctic's relatively sluggish sea ice growth since the start of winter follows a summer that ended with the sixth lowest minimum extent on record. —Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

Design: The Differences Are Down to Nano-Textures This part of the review is relatively easy to write: Apple changed nothing about its MacBook Pro laptop design except for the optional nano-texture display and the move to Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. —PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

Benjamin Deneen, the paper’s lead author, tells Popular Science that in the early days of neuroscience, research tended to focus on neurons, treating other cells as relatively unimportant support structures. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024

One of these indictments even yielded a conviction, albeit on 34 relatively minor charges of falsifying business records. —Vox Staff, Vox, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing relatively

• relatively prime

Kids Definition

relatively

adverb

rel·​a·​tive·​ly

ˈrel-ət-iv-lē

: somewhat entry 2