relative
gb/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/ us/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
A2
English
~ 2700
rokon, relatív, viszonylagos, vonatkozó névmás
NOUN
A2
1
rokon
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s relative
All of my relatives came to the wedding.
Az összes rokonom eljött az esküvőre.
She has no living relatives in this country.
Nincs élő rokona ebben az országban.
A close relative can visit you in the hospital.
He sent money to his relatives overseas.
The police contacted the victim's nearest relative.
Learner examples
My relatives live in Canada.
A rokonaim Kanadában élnek.
I have many relatives in my hometown.
Sok rokonom él a szülővárosomban.
Her relatives are very kind to me.
We visited our relatives last summer.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'relative' with 'relation'—both can mean family member, but 'relative' is more common in everyday conversation.
Meaning
family member by blood or marriage
Collocations
close relative
|distant relative
|blood relative
|immediate relative
|living relative
Synonyms
family member (Neutral, commonly used term for someone in the same family.)
|
kin (Slightly formal or old-fashioned way to refer to family members.)
Antonyms
stranger (Refers to someone with no family connection.)
Themes
family
|relationships
|daily life
|daily_life
Definition
A person in your family, such as a brother, aunt, cousin, or in-law.
A person who is connected to another by blood or marriage.
B2
2
relatív
B2
viszonylagos
B2
Usage pattern:
relative [amount/importance/speed/etc.]
The relative cost of living is lower here than in the city.
A megélhetés költsége itt a városhoz képest alacsonyabb.
Her success is impressive, but it's relative to her starting point.
A sikere lenyűgöző, de a kiindulópontjához képest kell értékelni.
They discussed the relative merits of each plan.
In relative terms, the project was a success.
Learner examples
The room is big, but this is relative to my small apartment.
A szoba nagy, de ez a kis lakásomhoz képest értendő.
Her English is good, but this is relative to other students in the class.
Jó az angolja, de ez az osztály többi diákjához képest értendő.
The price is high, but this is relative to the quality.
Common mistake:
Learners may mistakenly use 'relative' as a noun when they mean 'comparative' as an adjective.
Meaning
measured in comparison to something
Collocations
relative importance
|relative speed
|relative value
|relative safety
Synonyms
comparative (More formal term often used in academic or technical contexts.)
Antonyms
absolute (Means not dependent on or compared with anything else.)
Themes
measurement
|comparison
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Describing something by comparing it with another thing, not on its own.
Considered in relation or proportion to something else, rather than in absolute terms.
NOUN
B1
TECHNICAL
3
In the sentence 'The man who called is my uncle,' 'who' is a relative.
A „The man who called is my uncle” mondatban a „who” vonatkozó névmás.
Relative clauses add extra information about a noun.
A vonatkozó mellékmondatok további információt adnak egy főnévről.
'Which' and 'that' are common relatives in English grammar.
Learner examples
'Who' is a relative in this sentence.
A „who” ebben a mondatban vonatkozó névmás.
We use relatives like 'which' and 'that' to add information.
Információ hozzáadására olyan vonatkozó névmásokat használunk, mint a „which” és a „that”.
A relative connects two parts of a sentence.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'relative' as a grammar term with its meaning as a family member.
Meaning
word introducing a relative clause
Collocations
relative pronoun
|relative clause
Synonyms
relative pronoun (More specific term for this grammatical function.)
Themes
language
|grammar
|education
|communication
Definition
In grammar, a word like 'who', 'which', or 'that' used to join a clause to a noun.
A grammatical element, such as a pronoun or adverb, that introduces a relative clause and relates it to a noun or pronoun in the main clause.
Grammar
Dictionary form
relative
IPA
GB/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
US/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
Syllables & stress
re - l - at - ive (4 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (re)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: relative
Noun
- Base: relative
- Plural: relatives
Word family
Forms
relatives
noun
Core family
Related words
relatively
adverb B1
Negative and opposite forms
unrelated
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
relational
adjective
Expressions
close relative
1/klˈoʊs ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
family member closely related
A family member who is directly related to you, such as a parent, sibling, or child.
Examples
- Only a close relative can visit patients outside of visiting hours.
- She listed her husband as her close relative on the form.
nearest relative
1/nˈɪɹɪst ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
closest living family member
Your closest living family member, like your spouse, parent, or child.
Examples
- The police contacted the man's nearest relative after the accident.
- You must name your nearest relative on this form.
distant relative
1/dˈɪstənt ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
fixed phrase
Family member not closely related
A person in your family, but not closely related to you.
Examples
- I met a distant relative at the reunion who I had never seen before.
- She met a distant relative at the wedding who she had never seen before.
- He's some kind of distant relative on my father's side.
- He's a distant relative of mine — our great-grandparents were siblings.