relative to

preposition

: with regard to : in connection with

Examples of relative to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On the edge, Dre’Mont Jones tallied a pressure in team drills, and Elijah Ponder had a down day relative to some recent practices. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 1 Aug. 2026 But these sequences were reintroduced to the human genome later in our history, so recombination should be far less frequent relative to a genome that’s been in the modern human lineage the whole time. — ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026 Watch the production defect rate—defects escaping into production relative to code shipped. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 The Financial Times‘ Joel Suss recently argued that gains from new technology have not automatically flowed to the workers producing them since around 1970, as labor’s share of GDP has fallen relative to capital’s. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for relative to

Word History

First Known Use

1649, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of relative to was in 1649

Rhymes for relative to

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Browse Nearby Words

relative term
relative to
relative velocity
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Cite this Entry

“Relative to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relative%20to. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

relative to

preposition
: in relation to
the angle of the pole relative to the ground
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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