Meanings
nounrelativity (usually uncountable, plural relativities)
plural relativities
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being relative to something else; the absence of universally applicable rules or standards; relativism; (countable) an instance of this.
- abbreviationellipsisuncountableusuallynatural sciencesEllipsis of principle of relativity (“the principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers”).
- specificallyuncountableusuallynatural sciencesAlso Einsteinian relativity: the reliance of the nature of physical phenomena (such as gravity, light, mass, and time) on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed, as developed by Albert Einstein in two theories, special relativity and general relativity.
- countablein pluralusuallyAn evaluation of the similarities and differences between things; a comparison; hence, a difference in position or status between things; a disparity.
- countablein pluralspecificallyuncountableusuallyeconomicsThe difference in pay or positions between different employees in a business (internal relativity), or between different businesses (external relativity); a differential.
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(physics) the theory that space and time are relative concepts rather than absolute concepts
Similar
Broader
scientific theory
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanRelativität“relativity”
- Englishrelativity
From relative (“connected to or depending on something else”) + -ity (suffix forming nouns from adjectives where the nouns refer to the properties, qualities, or states described by the adjectives). Sense 2.1 (“reliance of the nature of physical phenomena on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed”) is a translation of German Relativität (“relativity”) used in the works of the German-American theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879–1955). Morphologically relative + -ity.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian относителност
- относителност (otnositelnost)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Catalan relativitat, relativitat
- relativitatthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relativitatprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Chinese Mandarin 相對性 /相对性, 關聯性 /关联性
- 相對性 /相对性 (xiāngduìxìng)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- 關聯性 /关联性 (guānliánxìng)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- 相關性 /相关性 (xiāngguānxìng)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- 相對論 /相对论 (xiāngduìlùn)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Czech relativnost, relativita
- relativnostthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relativitathe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
Finnish suhteellisuus, suhteellisuus
- suhteellisuusthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- suhteellisuusprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
French relativité, relativité
- relativitéthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relativitéprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
German Relativität, Relativität
- Relativitätthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- Relativitätprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Greek σχετικότητα
- σχετικότητα (schetikótita)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Hindi आपेक्षिकता, आपेक्षिकता
- आपेक्षिकता (āpekṣiktā)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- आपेक्षिकता (āpekṣiktā)reliance of the nature of physical phenomena on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed, as developed by Albert Einstein in two theories
- आपेक्षिकता (āpekṣiktā)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Irish coibhneasacht, coibhneasacht
- coibhneasachtthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- coibhneasachtreliance of the nature of physical phenomena on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed, as developed by Albert Einstein in two theories
- gaolmhaireachtprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
- coibhneasachtprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Japanese 相対性, 相対
- 相対性 (sōtaisei)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- 相対 (sōtai)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
Latin relātīvitās
- relātīvitāsprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Norwegian relativitet
- relativitetthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
Polish względność, względność
- względnośćthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- względnośćreliance of the nature of physical phenomena on the relative motion between an observer and the thing observed, as developed by Albert Einstein in two theories
- różnicadifference in pay or positions between different employees in a business, or between different businesses — see also differential
- względnośćprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Portuguese relatividade, relatividade
- relatividadethe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relatividadeprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Romanian relativitate, relativitate
- relativitatethe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relativitateprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Russian относи́тельность, относи́тельность
- относи́тельность (otnosítelʹnostʹ)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- относи́тельность (otnosítelʹnostʹ)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Spanish relatividad, relatividad
- relatividadthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- relatividadprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Swedish relativitet
- relativitetthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
Tagalog katugnayan, katugnayan
- katugnayanthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- katugnayanprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Ukrainian відно́сність, відно́сність
- відно́сність (vidnósnistʹ)the state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- відно́сність (vidnósnistʹ)principle that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Welsh perthnasedd, perthnasedd
- perthnaseddthe state of being relative to something else — see also relativism
- perthnaseddprinciple that the laws of physics should be the same for all observers
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with relativity
activitynativityreflectivityproclivityprivitynormativityaffectivityallonormativitybinormativitycisheteronormativitycisnormativitydescriptivityhectivityheteronormativityhomonormativityprescriptivitysnacktivitytransnormativity
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
relativity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relativity
MLA
“relativity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relativity. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “relativity,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/relativity.
Source: relativity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.