Definition of Relative
(noun) An individual’s relationship to another individual or group through blood (consanguinity), marriage (affinity), or adoption, or fictive ties.
Example of Relative
Types of Relative
- agnate
- ancestor
- aunt
- brother
- daughter
- descendant
- cognate
- consanguine
- cousin
- cross-cousin
- father
- grandfather
- grandmother
- grandparent
- husband
- mother
- nephew
- niece
- parallel-cousin
- parent
- sibling
- sister
- son
- uncle
- wife
Relative Pronunciation
Syllabification: rel·a·tive
Audio Pronunciation
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈrɛlədɪv/
- British English – /ˈrɛlətɪv/
Usage Notes
- Plural: relatives
- The terms relative and kin (short for kinship) are interchangeable.
- Descendants are relatives of a common ancestor.
- Also called relation.
- When my father married my mother, he (verb) relativized with her family and is (adverb) relatively (adjective) related to his new (noun) relatives and they share a (noun) relationship and (noun) relativity.
Additional Information
- Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “relative” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Cite the Definition of Relative
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “relative.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 20, 2020 (https://sociologydictionary.org/relative/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
relative. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/relative/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “relative.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 20, 2020. https://sociologydictionary.org/relative/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“relative.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2020. <https://sociologydictionary.org/relative/>.