English Reference
Adjective

relational

adj.
C1 Advanced US /ɹiˈɫeɪʃənəɫ/ UK /ɹɪlˈeɪʃənəl/ re·la·tion·al Art Linguistics

adj.describing how two or more things are connected or how they affect each other.

adj.concerning the way in which two or more people or things are connected. Often used in technical contexts to describe data structures or social interactions.


SIMPLE

The therapist focused on the couple's relational problems.

CONTEXTUAL

In database management, relational systems organize information into tables that are linked by shared keys.

COMPLEX

The artist's work explores relational aesthetics, prioritizing the social interactions and human context that emerge during the exhibition over the physical art objects themselves.

Usage

Typically used attributively before a noun; common in academic, psychological, and technical registers.

While some staff saw fines as a necessary tool, many believed they damage trust and undermine the relational work needed to support pupils and families to re-engage with school.

The Guardian· 9 Sept 2026

As Isabelle Hau , the executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, writes, young students need to develop strong social skills, what she calls “ relational intelligence ” to flourish in social settings.

The Conversation· 13 Jul 2026

From relation + -al. The database sense is from the definition of relation as a set of ordered tuples.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated