relative

alternative abbreviation rel.

1. not comparableConnected to or depending on something else; comparative.

   We've been discussing the relative merits of various methods of transportation.

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   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 [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], 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

2. not comparablepath; or similar; path; or similarcomputingExpressed in relation to another item, rather than in complete form.

   The relative URL /images/pic.jpg, when evaluated in the context of http://example.com/index.html, corresponds to the absolute URL http://example.com/images/pic.jpg.

3. not comparablegrammarDepending on an antecedent; comparative.

   The words “big” and “small” are relative.

4. not comparableentertainmentHaving the same key but differing in being major or minor.
5. archaicnot comparablerareRelevant; pertinent; related.

   relative to your earlier point about taxes, ...

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   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

6. not comparableCapable to be changed by other beings or circumstance; conditional.

alternative abbreviation rel.

1. USalternativenot comparableAlternative form of relatively.

   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

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   Mr. Schneebell. Instead of the relative small number of cases, you should phrase it probably differently. Professor Brazer. I accept that correction.

   1974, Select Committee on Small Business, United States Senate, Small Business Tax Reform, 1970–74, page 175

   In addition to the typical external disturbances faced by small open economies, such as shocks to terms of trade, to capital flows, or to the rest of the world’s demand, it is subject to a number of idiosyncratic shocks stemming from its relative big neighbors Brazil and—especially—Argentina.

   2010, Sebastian Sosa, The Influence of “Big Brothers:” How Important are Regional Factors for Uruguay?, page 3

plural relatives · alternative abbreviation rel.

1. Someone connected by blood, marriage, or adoption; someone in the same family.

   The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives.

   1945, E[lizabeth] G[idley] Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xiii

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   In 2008, the leader of a pro-government union accused Flores of nepotism after she reportedly hired at least 40 relatives to work within the National Assembly.

   2026 January 5, Callum Sutherland, “Who Is Cilia Flores? What to Know About Maduro’s Wife Amid Fall of Venezuela's First Couple”, in TIME, archived from the original on 10 Jan 2026

2. figurativelySomething kindred or related to something else.

   Synonyms: cousin

3. human sciencesA type of adjective that inflects like a relative clause, rather than a true adjective, in certain Bantu languages.