Definitions for: Relative


[n] an animal or plant that bears a relationship to another (as related by common descent or by membership in the same genus)
[n] a person related by blood or marriage; "police are searching for relatives of the deceased"; "he has distant relations back in New Jersey"
[adj] not absolute or complete; "a relative stranger"
[adj] properly related in size or degree or other measurable characteristics; usually followed by `to'; "punishment oughtt to be proportional to the crime"; "earnings relative to production"



Webster (1913) Definition: Rel"a*tive (r?l"?-t?v), a. [F. relatif, L. relativus.
See Relate.]
1. Having relation or reference; referring; respecting;
standing in connection; pertaining; as, arguments not
relative to the subject.

I'll have grounds More relative than this. --Shak.

2. Arising from relation; resulting from connection with, or
reference to, something else; not absolute.

Every thing sustains both an absolute and a relative
capacity: an absolute, as it is such a thing, endued
with such a nature; and a relative, as it is a part
of the universe, and so stands in such a relations
to the whole. --South.

3. (Gram.) Indicating or expressing relation; refering to an
antecedent; as, a relative pronoun.

4. (Mus.) Characterizing or pertaining to chords and keys,
which, by reason of the identify of some of their tones,
admit of a natural transition from one to the other.
--Moore (Encyc. of Music).

Relative clause (Gram.), a clause introduced by a relative
pronoun.

Relative term, a term which implies relation to, as
guardian to ward, matter to servant, husband to wife. Cf.
Correlative.


Rel"a*tive, n.
One who, or that which, relates to, or is considered in its
relation to, something else; a relative object or term; one
of two object or term; one of two objects directly connected
by any relation. Specifically:
(a) A person connected by blood or affinity; strictly, one
allied by blood; a relation; a kinsman or kinswoman.
``Confining our care . . . to ourselves and relatives.''
--Bp. Fell.
(b) (Gram.) A relative pronoun; a word which relates to, or
represents, another word or phrase, called its
antecedent; as, the relatives ``who'', ``which'',
``that''.

Synonyms: comparative, congenator, congener, proportional, proportionate, qualifying, relation, relational

Antonyms: absolute

See Also: agnate, ancestor, antecedent, ascendant, ascendent, being, better half, blood relation, blood relative, clan, cognate, cousin, cousin-german, descendant, descendent, enate, family, first cousin, full cousin, human, individual, in-law, issue, kin, kin group, kindred, kinship group, kinsman, kinsperson, kinswoman, kissing cousin, kissing kin, married person, mate, matrikin, matrilineal kin, matrilineal sib, matrisib, mortal, next of kin, offspring, organism, partner, patrikin, patrilineal kin, patrilineal sib, patrisib, person, progeny, relative-in-law, root, second cousin, sib, sibling, somebody, someone, soul, spouse, tribe

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