- Relative is defined as something connected, relevant or dependent on something else.
- An example of relative is evidence in a court case.
- An example of relative is calling six hours of sleep a good amount, after only getting four hours of sleep during many nights before.
- The definition of a relative is someone who is connected to another by blood, family or marriage.
An example of relative is a father-in-law.
These people are all relatives.
- related each to the other; dependent upon or referring to each other: to stay in the same relative positions
- having to do with; pertinent; relevant: documents relative to a legal case
- regarded in relation to something else; comparative: living in relative comfort
- meaningful only in relationship; not absolute: “cold” is a relative term
- designating a word that introduces a dependent clause and refers to an antecedent: “which” is a relative pronoun in “the hat which you bought”
- introduced by such a word: a relative clause
Origin of relative; from Middle French or L: Middle French relatif ; from Classical Latin relativus ; from Classical Latin relatus: see relate
- a relative word, term, or thing
- a person connected with another by blood, marriage, etc.; kinsman or kinswoman
- a plant or animal in the same taxonomic division as another
- relevant to; concerning; about
- corresponding to; in proportion to
- Considered in comparison or relation to something else: an animal with a large brain relative to body size; the relative quiet of the suburbs.
- Having pertinence or relevance; connected or related: How are those remarks relative to the discussion?
- Grammar Referring to or qualifying an antecedent, as the pronoun who in the man who was on TV or that in the dictionary that I use.
- Music Having the same key signature. Used of major and minor scales and keys: A minor is the relative minor of C major.
- a. A person related to another by heredity, adoption, or marriage.b. A species or other taxon that shares a common ancestor, usually a relatively recent ancestor, with another: The jaguar is a relative of the lion.
- Grammar A relative pronoun.
Origin of relativeMiddle English, from Old French relatif, from Late Latin relātīvus, from Latin relātus, past participle of referre, to relate; see relate.
- Connected to or depending on something else; comparative.
- (computing, of a URL, URI, path, or similar) Expressed in relation to another item, rather than in complete form.
- The relative URL /images/pic.jpg, when evaluated in the context of http://example.com/docs/pic.html, corresponds to the absolute URL http://example.com/images/pic.jpg.
- (grammar) That relates to an antecedent.
- (music) Having the same key but differing in being major or minor.
- Relevant; pertinent; related.
- relative to your earlier point about taxes...
- Capable to be changed by other beings or circumstance; conditional.
- Someone in the same family; someone connected by blood, marriage, or adoption.
- Why do my relatives always talk about sex?
- (linguistics) A type of adjective that inflects like a relative clause, rather than a true adjective, in certain Bantu languages.
From Latin relativus, from relatus, perfect passive participle of referre (“to carry back, to ascribe"), from re- (“again") + ferre (“to bear or carry")
relative - Legal Definition