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REFERENCE

relative

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈɹɛɫətɪv// UK //ɹˈɛlətˌɪv// rel·a·tive Archaic General-service

n. a person who belongs to the same family as you. This includes people like your cousins, aunts, and grandparents.

n. a person connected by blood or marriage. Often used as a collective term to encompass extended family members beyond the immediate nuclear unit.


SIMPLE

I am visiting my relatives for the holidays.

CONTEXTUAL

During the summer wedding, many distant relatives traveled from across the country to celebrate together.

COMPLEX

The lawyer spent months searching for any surviving relatives who might have a legal claim to the deceased man's estate.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle French relatif, from Late Latin relātīvus, from Latin relātus, perfect passive participle of referō (“to carry back, to ascribe”), from re- (“again”) + ferō (“to bear or carry”). By surface analysis, relate + -ive.

Usage

Commonly used in the plural form when referring to family members in general.

Pitfall

He is my relation.He is my relative.While 'relation' can mean a family member, 'relative' is the standard and more common term for an individual person in this context.

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