relative
gb/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/ us/ɹˈɛlɪtɪv/
A2
English
~ 2700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
family member by blood or marriage
A person in your family, such as a brother, aunt, cousin, or in-law.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s relative
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'relative' with 'relation'—both can mean family member, but 'relative' is more common in everyday conversation.
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.)
Collocations
close relative
|distant relative
|blood relative
|immediate relative
|living relative
Themes
family
|relationships
|daily life
|daily_life
Examples
- All of my relatives came to the wedding.
- She has no living relatives in this country.
- 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.
- I have many relatives in my hometown.
- Her relatives are very kind to me.
- We visited our relatives last summer.
adjective
B2
property
2
measured in comparison to something
Describing something by comparing it with another thing, not on its own.
Usage pattern:
relative [amount/importance/speed/etc.]
Common mistake:
Learners may mistakenly use 'relative' as a noun when they mean 'comparative' as an adjective.
Synonyms
comparative (More formal term often used in academic or technical contexts.)
Antonyms
absolute (Means not dependent on or compared with anything else.)
Collocations
relative importance
|relative speed
|relative value
|relative safety
Themes
measurement
|comparison
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The relative cost of living is lower here than in the city.
- Her success is impressive, but it's relative to her starting point.
- 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.
- Her English is good, but this is relative to other students in the class.
- The price is high, but this is relative to the quality.
Noun
technical
B1
entity
3
word introducing a relative clause
In grammar, a word like 'who', 'which', or 'that' used to join a clause to a noun.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'relative' as a grammar term with its meaning as a family member.
Synonyms
relative pronoun (More specific term for this grammatical function.)
Collocations
relative pronoun
|relative clause
Themes
language
|grammar
|education
|communication
Examples
- In the sentence 'The man who called is my uncle,' 'who' is a relative.
- Relative clauses add extra information about a noun.
- 'Which' and 'that' are common relatives in English grammar.
Learner examples
- 'Who' is a relative in this sentence.
- We use relatives like 'which' and 'that' to add information.
- A relative connects two parts of a sentence.
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.