Word of the Day: Relative
When someone or something is related to something else, we say it’s relative. This word is often used for people who share a common bond through marriage and family relationships.
- Do you have any relatives who live nearby?
- If you need any help, you might be able to count on your relatives for support.
- Relatives from across the country came to pay their respects at my grandmother’s funeral.
- Steven’s relatives are coming over for dinner on Saturday night.
- We’re having our relatives over later today. (have over = receive visitors)
- It’s fun to get together with relatives.
The word “relative” can also be used as an adjective when making comparisons to another situation.
- The point that he’s trying to make is relative to the argument. (The word “relevant” is similar in this kind of a sentence.)
- Some people argue that a full understanding of morality is relative to a particular circumstance. (This idea also goes by “moral relativism.”)
- The teacher taught the class about relative clauses today. (A relative clause is necessary and descriptive of another part of a sentence.)
The word “relatively” is an adverb which we use when making comparisons:
- The movie was relatively short. (This is in comparison to other movies.)
- The test was relatively easy. (This is in comparison to other tests.)
- Compared to some of the other candidates running for office, Jeff Johnson is relatively smart. (This statement could sound like an insult to all who are mentioned.)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with R page to see the list of all words starting with letter R. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
