¹relative

noun rel·a·tive \ˈre-lə-tiv\

: a member of your family

: something that belongs to the same group as something else because of shared characteristics, qualities, etc.

Full Definition of RELATIVE

: a word referring grammatically to an antecedent

: a thing having a relation to or connection with or necessary dependence on another thing

a : a person connected with another by blood or affinity

b : an animal or plant related to another by common descent

: a relative term

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First Known Use of RELATIVE

14th century

Related to RELATIVE

Synonyms: cousin, kin, kinsman, relation

Antonyms: nonrelative

Other Genetics Terms

chimera, hermaphrodite, plasticity

²relative

adjective

: compared to someone or something else or to each other

: seeming to be something when compared with others

grammar : referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier

Full Definition of RELATIVE

: introducing a subordinate clause qualifying an expressed or implied antecedent <a relative pronoun>; also : introduced by such a connective <a relative clause>

: relevant, pertinent <matters relative to world peace>

: not absolute or independent : comparative <the relative isolation of life in the country>

: having the same key signature —used of major and minor keys and scales

: expressed as the ratio of the specified quantity (as an error in measuring) to the total magnitude (as the value of a measured quantity) or to the mean of all the quantities involved

See relative defined for English-language learners