Relative | Mean of relative in English Dictionary

/ˈrɛlətɪv/

• Noun
• a member of your family
1. At the family reunion, I saw relatives I haven't seen in years.
2. He inherited a small piece of land from a distant relative.
• something that belongs to the same group as something else because of shared characteristics, qualities, etc.
1. The donkey is a relative of the horse.
• compared to someone or something else or to each other
1. the relative value of two houses
2. What are the relative advantages of the different methods? [=what are the advantages of each method compared to the others?]
3. the relative positions of the islands
4. We discussed the relative merits of each school.
5. The car might seem expensive, but it's all relative. [=the car is expensive compared to some cars but not to other cars]

• seeming to be something when compared with others
1. I'm a relative newcomer to the area. [=I am not really new to the area but I am more of a newcomer than many people]
2. We did it with relative [=comparative] ease.
• referring to a noun, a part of a sentence, or a sentence that was used earlier
1. “Who,” “whom,” “whose,” “which,” and “that” are all relative pronouns.
2. The phrase “that won” in “the book that won” is a relative clause.
• concerning or about (something)
1. We will discuss matters relative to peace and security.