Relative Meaning
/ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjConnected to or depending on something else; comparative.
adjExpressed in relation to another item, rather than in complete form.
Sentence Examples
Supply is relative to demand.
Listen to the facts relative to the issue.
You must consider the relative merits of the two plans.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the family reunion, every ____ brought a traditional dish to share.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cost of living in the capital is high ____ to other cities in the country.
Word Origin & History
From Middle French relatif, from Late Latin relātīvus, from Latin relātus, perfect passive participle of referō (“to carry back, to ascribe”), from re- (“again”) + ferō (“to bear or carry”). By surface analysis, relate + -ive.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"I once knew a case—possibly I read of it—where a pack of cards lay on the floor. It was a murder case and the guilt or innocence of an accused man depended on the relative positions of the fifty-first and fifty-second cards."
— 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
"For Liverpool, their season will now be regarded as a relative disappointment after failure to add the FA Cup to the Carling Cup and not mounting a challenge to reach the Champions League places."
— 2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 10 Dec 2022:
"It is thought that the autistic mind is more intimately connected with objective reality via its external sensory focus on reality and its superior understanding of physical causality, relative to neurotypical persons (Baron-Cohen et al. 1999; Paganini and Gaido 2013) and is therefore less susceptible to supernatural experiences or explanations."
— 2018 November 12, Jerry Stuger, “Autism and Religious Beliefs: Clues from Kafka Research”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 49, →DOI, pages 1559–1569:
"The Spirit that I haue ſeene
May be the Diuell, and the Diuel hath power
T'aſſume a pleaſing ſhape, yea and perhaps
Out of my Weakneſſe, and my Melancholly,
As he is very potent with ſuch Spirits,
Abuſes me to damne me. Ile haue grounds
More Relatiue then this: The play's the thing,
Wherein Ile catch the Conſcience of the King."
— c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 264, column 2:
"In 1924 it moved to a commonious campus at Stockton. Like other Californian colleges, however, it decided to remain a relative small institution."
— 1961, Earl Leon Werley Heck, The Rise of Higher Education in California, 1834–1910:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
During the family reunion, every ____ brought a traditional dish to share.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The cost of living in the capital is high ____ to other cities in the country.