as in cousin
a person connected with another by blood or marriage
it's always fun to see all your relatives at a big family gathering
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in comparative
being such only when compared to something else
after being crammed into a one-bedroom apartment, they lived in relative comfort in a two-bedroom house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in relevant
having to do with the matter at hand
I don't need the whole story, just the details that are relative to the case
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of relative
Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Canada has never been a threat to the United States, except in hockey, and Canadians have long seen Americans as their close relatives.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 21 July 2025
Despite the critical praise and relative success received by City High’s first and only album, the trio — including Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz — ultimately broke up in 2003 after just four years of working together.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for relative
Noun
The documentary chronicles the lives of a mother and daughter, relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who live together for years, piles of trash accumulating around them, social conventions becoming remote.
—Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 21 July 2025
Canada has never been a threat to the United States, except in hockey, and Canadians have long seen Americans as their close relatives.
—Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
Adjective
The relative strength index on Alphabet, the RSI, stands at 72.
—Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 21 July 2025
Despite the critical praise and relative success received by City High’s first and only album, the trio — including Ryan Toby and Claudette Ortiz — ultimately broke up in 2003 after just four years of working together.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for relative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relative
Noun
-
Jamie Demetriou will play Mr. Collins, Mr. Bennet's cousin and presumptive heir to the Bennet family's Longbourn estate.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Yet Kamehameha has his own rival in the form of his cousin Keōua (a lights-out fantastic Cliff Curtis), who wants to rule alone.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The format lessens the comparative benefit of finishing first over fourth, as well as fifth over ninth.—
Ian Nicholas Quillen,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
Roberts provided examples like a company renting Lexus cars needing to use that trademark or comparative advertising using Tiffany's diamonds as a reference point to hype their lower prices.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
The more time someone spends on a Meta service, the more data gets generated and the more opportunities the company has to show relevant ads.—
Salvador Rodriguez,
CNBC,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Staff take a holistic approach, reevaluating a player’s strength, range of motion, past injuries and other relevant factors.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The American public should realize that the figures appearing in the chart’s left column represent a hodgepodge of factors that (while not all wholly irrelevant to global trade tensions) cannot be conveniently translated into a statistic that bears any relation to real-world tariff rates.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
Fortunately, relations with parents and bosses are smooth and mutually supportive.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
While midsize data centers typically use 300,000 gallons daily, comparable to consumption by 1,000 households, large-scale facilities such as those recently built or planned in Texas can consume as much as 4.5 million gallons daily.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka now face 20 percent, down from the earlier 37 percent and 47 percent and now comparable to that for Vietnam’s 20 percent announced in July.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Detectives presented the case to the prosecuting attorney's office and concurred that no applicable charges were warranted in this case.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
25 July 2025
-
Installation, taxes and fees, and other applicable charges extra, and subj.—
Kara McGinley,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Despite arguably kicking off the trend of internet shutdowns a decade ago with an almost year-long blackout in the western province of Xinjiang, China is not a frequent offender.—
James Griffiths,
CNN,
9 Jan. 2020
-
West made his triumphant return to Twitter last Friday after an almost year-long hiatus.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
21 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Relative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relative. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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