relational

adjective

re·​la·​tion·​al ri-ˈlā-shnəl 

-shə-nᵊl

1

: of or relating to kinship

2

: characterized or constituted by relations

3

: having the function chiefly of indicating a relation of syntax

has is notional in he has luck, relational in he has gone

4

: relating to, using, or being a method of organizing data in a database so that it is perceived by the user as a set of tables

relationally adverb

Examples of relational in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Processing feelings with people builds relational resilience. —Dominique Fluker, Essence, 17 Mar. 2025

Floodlighting disrupts this natural relational progression by pushing too much emotional depth too soon, which can: Create an unbalanced dynamic where one person overshares while the other feels pressured to reciprocate. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

Dohna: That’s why the other genre that always works in series are family relations, relational dramas, in a very large sense of a group of people that are strongly related. —John Hopewell, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025

People are relational creatures, shaped by the dictates of their environment. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing relational

• relational grammar

Rhymes for relational

• formational
• foundational
• gestational
• gradational
• locational
• mutational
• nonrational
• notational
• rotational
• sensational
• translational
• vibrational