Meanings
alternative initialism PR
- uncountableThe professional dissemination and management of information by a person or an organization to the public with the purpose of creating a favorable public image.
The public relations drive accompanying the opening of Stage I is impressive.
1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 714Synonyms: PR
- broadlymetonymicallyuncountableThe favorability of the public image of a person or organization.
to get bad public relations
to have things happen that deteriorate the public image
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe professional dissemination and management of information by a person or an organization to the public with the purpose of creating a favorable public image.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna promotion intended to create goodwill for a person or institution
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Since the early twentieth century. The term gained popularity as a euphemism for propaganda after that originally neutral term acquired a negative connotation during the political upheavals of the early twentieth century.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic عَلَاقَاتٌ عَامَّة
- عَلَاقَاتٌ عَامَّة (ʕalāqātun ʕāmma)profession
Bulgarian връ́зки с обществеността́
- връ́зки с обществеността́ (vrắzki s obštestvenosttá)profession
Catalan relacions públiques
- relacions públiquesprofession
Chinese Mandarin 公共關係 /公共关系, PR
- 公共關係 /公共关系 (gōnggòng guānxì)profession
- PRprofession
- 公關 /公关 (gōngguān)profession
Finnish suhdetoiminta, tiedotus- ja suhdetoiminta
- suhdetoimintaprofession
- tiedotus- ja suhdetoimintaprofession
French relations publiques, PR
- relations publiquesprofession
- PRprofession
- RPprofession
German Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, ÖA
- Öffentlichkeitsarbeitprofession
- ÖAprofession
- Public Relationsprofession
- PRprofession
Greek δημόσιες σχέσεις
- δημόσιες σχέσεις (dimósies schéseis)profession
Hebrew יחסי ציבור, יַחֲסֵי צִבּוּר
- יחסי ציבורprofession
- יַחֲסֵי צִבּוּר (yakhasé tsibúr)profession
Hindi सार्वजनिक संबंध, पब्लिक रिलेशन्स
- सार्वजनिक संबंध (sārvajnik sambandh)profession
- पब्लिक रिलेशन्स (pablik rileśans)profession
- PRprofession
Hungarian közkapcsolat
- közkapcsolatprofession
Icelandic almannatengsl
- almannatengslprofession
Irish caidreamh poiblí
- caidreamh poiblíprofession
Italian pubbliche relazioni
- pubbliche relazioniprofession
Japanese パブリック・リレーションズ, PR (pī-āru)
- パブリック・リレーションズ (paburikku-rirēshonzu)profession
- PR (pī-āru)profession
- ピー・アール (pī-āru)profession
Korean 홍보, PR (piareu)
- 홍보 (hongbo)profession
- PR (piareu)profession
Norwegian Bokmål informasjonsarbeid
- informasjonsarbeidprofession
Polish public relations, PR
- public relationsprofession
- PRprofession
Portuguese relações públicas
- relações públicasprofession
Romanian relații publice
- relații publiceprofession
Russian свя́зи с обще́ственностью, PR
- свя́зи с обще́ственностью (svjázi s obščéstvennostʹju)profession
- PRprofession
- пиа́р (piár)profession
Scottish Gaelic dàimh phoblach
- dàimh phoblachprofession
Spanish relaciones públicas, RRPP
- relaciones públicasprofession
- RRPPprofession
Swedish PR
- PRprofession
Tagalog pakikitungong-madla, pakikisamang-madla
- pakikitungong-madlaprofession
- pakikisamang-madlaprofession
Thai ประชาสัมพันธ์, พีอาร์
- ประชาสัมพันธ์ (bprà-chaa-sǎm-pan)profession
- พีอาร์ (pii-aa)profession
Turkish PR, halkla ilişkiler
- PRprofession
- halkla ilişkilerprofession
Ukrainian зв'язки́ з грома́дськістю, піа́р
- зв'язки́ з грома́дськістю (zvʺjazký z hromádsʹkistju)profession
- піа́р (piár)profession
Welsh cysylltiadau cyhoeddus
- cysylltiadau cyhoeddusprofession
Cite this entry
public relations. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20relations
“public relations.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20relations. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “public relations,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20relations.
Source: public relations on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.