relative 1 of 2

Definition of relativenext
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

relative

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of relative
Noun
Services for the children, all between the ages of 3 and 11, will take place on May 9, at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, their relative, Keosha Pugh, announced in a post on social media. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026 Evidence shows that cutting or losing contact with close relatives typically stems from deep, long-standing issues. Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Washington insiders of various categories would really love to return to the relative normalcy suggested by a Marco Rubio presidency. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026 Neill had reprised his role as Grant in the 2022 movie alongside his original co-stars Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum as well as relative newcomers to the franchise Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for relative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relative
Noun
  • That same year Cindy's cousin testified before the Florida Legislature about the Death Penalty Reform Act, which in part sought to speed up executions to be carried out within five years of an inmate's conviction.
    Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The cousin and his wife were notified about his death.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • But according to Hisham Hussein, head of the Central Department for Maritime Antiquities and Sinai and supervisor of the excavation, ongoing excavation and comparative studies have changed their understanding of the site.
    Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Under California’s pure comparative negligence rule, the resulting recovery would be $90,000.
    William Jones, Sacbee.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • With Iran being on the world stage even more today, this story of hostage diplomacy and diplomatic terrorism remains as relevant as ever.
    Kevin Giraud, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The changes start up front, where, instead of a traditional instrument cluster, the dash is crowned by BMW’s Panoramic iDrive, a display that runs along the bottom of the windshield from A-pilar to A-pilar and shows all relevant vehicle info.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • About a decade ago the artist Paul Chan (no relation) began affixing fans to the bases of humanoid sculptures, made from cylindrical nylon tubes, in order to animate them.
    Dawn Chan, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Redditors also ponder an IKEA cookie relation.
    Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • In comparable territory, The Outsiders keeps things earnest, and even Stranger Things, for all its loopiness, plays its baby-monster antihero story tragic and straight.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The legislation also includes the implementation of a public online database displaying information on DCF’s performance comparable to federal standards and additional mandatory training for DCF employees.
    Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • All short-term rentals would be required to meet applicable building, fire, and health codes, including working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and safe structural components.
    Ashley Portillo, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • But again, this is a rule that’s applicable to Shohei.
    Michael Huntley, Oc Register, 25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • That also means its almost time for clocks to fall back.
    Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Orange County has paid more than $39 million worth of settlements in the almost year since the Airport fire broke out and destroyed more than 100 structures, according to county officials.
    Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 20 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relative. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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