Relative meaning

What does “relative” mean? Definitions, examples, synonyms and opposites.

“relative” is a noun and adjective with 4 meanings. Its most common meaning is: a person related by blood or marriage.

relative

noun

  1. a person related by blood or marriage

    “police are searching for relatives of the deceased”

    “he has distant relations back in New Jersey”

    Synonymsrelation
  2. an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as related by common descent or by membership in the same genus)

adjective

  1. estimated by comparison; not absolute or complete

    “a relative stranger”

    Synonymscomparative
    Oppositesabsolute
  2. properly related in size or degree or other measurable characteristics; usually followed by `to'

    “the punishment ought to be proportional to the crime”

    “earnings relative to production”

    Synonymsproportional

Source: WordNet 3.1, Princeton University