EnglishMain Dictionary
relative
Universal Words
adjective, noun
adjective (formal)
1 considered and judged by being compared with sth else:
the relative merits of the two plans
2 ~ (to sth) considered according to its position or connection with sth else:
the position of the sun relative to the earth
3 [onlybeforenoun] that exists or that has a particular quality only when compared with sth else:
They now live in relative comfort (= compared with how they lived before). * Given the failure of the previous plan, this turned out to be a relative success. * (spoken) It's all relative though, isn't it? We never had any money when I was a kid and $500 was a fortune to us.
compareABSOLUTE
4 ~ to sth (formal) having a connection with sth; referring to sth:
the facts relative to the case
5 (grammar) referring to an earlier noun, sentence or part of a sentence:
In 'the man who came', 'who' is a relative pronoun and 'who came' is a relative clause.
noun
1 a person who is in the same family as sb else
SYNRELATION:
a close / distant relative * her friends and relatives
2 a thing that belongs to the same group as sth else:
The ibex is a distant relative of the mountain goat.
