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
Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Anderson was estranged from most of her siblings and other relatives.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Health Care, Consumer Staple, and Transports are still closer to lows after failing to sustain any relative recovery.
—Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relative
Noun
That wasn’t any relative of Rees, who played quarterback for the Irish from 2010 to 2013 before returning as an assistant coach.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2025
Anderson was estranged from most of her siblings and other relatives.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Maxwell pitched a scoreless, and then Connor Phillips, a relative veteran with 18 big-league appearances on his resume, worked around a walk to retire the top of the Padres’ order and earned the win following Tyler Stephenson’s homer.
—C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Health Care, Consumer Staple, and Transports are still closer to lows after failing to sustain any relative recovery.
—Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relative
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relative
Noun
-
After the eighth-generation jeweler Munnu Kasliwal died in 2012, his son Siddharth took over, and today runs the business alongside his brother, cousins, and uncle.—
Gayatri Shah,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
That unusually low resonance makes nuclear clocks uniquely suited to timekeeping at the nuclear scale, and sets them apart from their atomic cousins.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In the case of the pharmaceutical industry, robust M&A activity helps maintain a vibrant research landscape and allows both large and small pharmaceuticals to focus on their comparative advantages.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Despite their mass use, Manuylov hopes to convince various associations and research boards to conduct comparative field tests of the classic methods versus his own.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This is particularly relevant in the case of ChatGPT, as OpenAI is, as of writing, obliged by a US federal court order to store all conversations, even those deleted by users or conducted in its Temporary Chat mode.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Nir Kshetri does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the early 1960s, NBC television sponsored a talent competition for young actors and actresses, and her talents were brought to the attention of the vice president of talent relations for NBC.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Deauville is one of the several festivals championed by Chanel, which is highly involved in the film world through diverse initiatives spearheaded by Elsa Heizmann, the global director of cinematic relations, and her right-hand-man Clement Geray.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By reducing time spent at charging stations, the technology aims to make the EV ownership experience more comparable to refueling a conventional vehicle.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Food manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants are actively seeking to reduce their reliance on international suppliers, but domestic alternatives aren't always available or comparable.—
Phil Lempert,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
These collaborations aren’t just applicable in the world of social media.—
John Hall,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Mad Men would be named Best Drama for a third straight year and Temple Grandin commenced what turned out to be a seemingly endless onslaught at every applicable awards show, as the TV-movie tied an Emmy record with five major wins.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Relative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relative. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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