relative

Word family  noun relation relations relationship relative adjective related ≠ unrelated relative verb relate adverb relatively

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Family

rel·a·tive1 /ˈrelətɪv/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable]  SSFFAMILYa member of your family 家人；亲属，亲戚 SYN relation a gathering of friends and relatives 亲朋好友的聚会a close/distant relative Her boyfriend is a distant relative of mine. 她的男朋友是我的远房亲戚。n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesa close relative (=a brother, parent, aunt etc)He lost several close relatives in the war.a distant relativeShe claims to be a distant relative of the Queen.a blood relative (=one related by birth not marriage)332 kidneys were donated last year by blood relatives or spouses.a living/surviving relativeAs far as she knew, she had no living relatives.phrasesa relative by marriageHow many women would be willing to care for distant relatives by marriage?friends and relativesAbout thirty-five close friends and relatives attended the wedding. THESAURUSrelative a member of your family, especially one who does not live with you 亲戚Most of her relatives were able to come to the wedding. 她的大部分亲戚都能来参加婚礼。We have some distant relatives in Australia. 我们在澳大利亚有些远亲。relation a member of your family. Relation means the same as relative. It is often used when talking about whether someone is in the same family as another person 亲戚〔含义与relative相同，常用于谈论某人与另一人是否为一家人〕Big cities can be lonely places if you have no friends or relations there. 要是没有朋友或亲戚，在大城市里就可能很孤独。‘What relation is she to you?’ ‘She’s my half sister.’ “她是你什么人？”“她是我同母异父的姐姐。”He’s no relation to the singer. 他不是那个歌手的亲戚。descendant someone who is a family member of a person who lived and died a long time ago, for example the great-grandchild of that person 后代The people are the descendants of slaves who were brought over from Africa. 这些人是那些从非洲带过来的奴隶的后代。ancestor a member of your family who lived a long time ago, especially hundreds of years ago 祖先My ancestors originally came from Ireland. 我的祖先来自爱尔兰。forefathers especially written people in your family who lived a long time ago – often used in historical descriptions 祖先〔常用于历史性描述〕His forefathers came to America over a century ago. 一个世纪之前，他的祖先来到美国。extended family a family group that consists not only of parents and children, but also includes grandparents, aunts etc 大家庭Extended families rarely live together in Britain, but they are still important. 在英国，大家庭成员很少住在一起，但他们依然很重要。folks especially American English informal your family, especially your parents 家人〔尤指双亲〕Are you going to see your folks at Christmas? 圣诞节你会去看家人吗？next of kin the person or people who are most closely related to you, for example your husband or mother, and who need to be told if something serious happens to you 至亲，直系亲属The next of kin must be notified of his death before his name is released to the press. 他的死讯必须先通知至亲，然后才能将其姓名透露给媒体。

Examples from the Corpus

relative• Family Eldercare also helps out-of-state employees with concerns about aging relatives who live in Austin.• She is socially dependent on friends and relatives.• Because, they argued, the males in coalitions were almost always close relatives, kin selection enhanced the benefits of cooperation.• Shrimps are distant relatives of insects.• Within the family, meanwhile, money-making is reinforced as admirable through stories featuring relatives as the heroes.• Their graves were tended by surviving relatives in much the same way that they looked after the house of an absent friend.• Legalization also appears to have strengthened relationships between amnesty recipients and their relatives living abroad.• The women were to spend the night at a community youth center in Tokyo before meeting their relatives today.• Are your relatives from Denmark coming to the wedding?a close/distant relative• Two brothers of wife Gail Spiro and a distant relative of her husband arrived in San Diego yesterday.• No-one was able to locate even a distant relative.• It shows that every inhabitant of a mole-rat colony is a close relative.• Financial need, even on the part of a close relative, has apparently never been seen as a situation which required an automatic response.• They have lost parents, often a close relative or two and some of their oldest friends.• Two letters that might have been written to a distant relative, and that was all.• Ali was the name of a warrior, a distant relative of the Prophet Muhammad.relative2 ●●○ W3 adjective  1  COMPAREhaving a particular quality when compared with something else 比较的，相对的 The relative merits of both approaches have to be considered. 两种方法的相对优点都得考虑在内。 her opponent’s relative lack of experience 她的对手相对来说缺少经验 You may think you’re poor, but it’s all relative (=you are not poor compared to some people). 你可能认为自己很穷，但一切都是相对的。2  relative to something formalCONNECTED WITH connected with a particular subject 与某事物有关的 facts relative to this issue 与这个问题有关的事实

Examples from the Corpus

relative• She was terrified of flying. The relative advantages of air travel didn't tempt her at all.• There was something else Dilip offered me, the seductions of relative comfort.• Kim lived a life of relative ease and privilege.• It had been designed in a period of relative economic stability and was not fitted for such tumultuous times.• Figure 2.2 shows the changing relative importance of manufacturing in employment terms.• It's all relative, isn't it? Someone who is poor in this country might be considered well off in another.• The two men stood at the bar discussing the relative merits of various sports cars.• To sit in relative peace and quiet in the Miller house was a very rare occurrence and Terry was enjoying it.• Farr escaped to the relative quiet of his room.• The trend is further underlined by the relative size of the companies acquired.• Relative social position and relative command of this skill became regularly associated.• the relative strength of the dollar against the Mexican peso• The object of job evaluation is to provide a systematic approach to defining the relative worth of different jobs.From Longman Business Dictionaryrelativerel‧a‧tive /ˈrelətɪv/ adjective having a particular value or quality when compared with similar thingstherelative strength of the dollarIBM was a relative latecomer to the laptop market. —relatively adverbThe system is relatively easy to use.

rel·a·tive1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1relative2 adjectiveLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable  

Corpus member of family a Business your

relative

I

rel‧a‧tive¹ S3 W3 /ˈrelətɪv/ noun [countable]a member of your family
   SYN  relation:
    a gathering of friends and relatives
    a close/distant relative
    Her boyfriend is a distant relative of mine.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ a close relative (=a brother, parent, aunt etc) He lost several close relatives in the war.
   ▪ a distant relative She claims to be a distant relative of the Queen.
   ▪ a blood relative (=one related by birth not marriage) 332 kidneys were donated last year by blood relatives or spouses.
   ▪ a living/surviving relative As far as she knew, she had no living relatives.
■ phrases
   ▪ a relative by marriage How many women would be willing to care for distant relatives by marriage?
   ▪ friends and relatives About thirty-five close friends and relatives attended the wedding.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ relative a member of your family, especially one who does not live with you: Most of her relatives were able to come to the wedding. | We have some distant relatives in Australia.
   ▪ relation a member of your family. Relation means the same as relative. It is often used when talking about whether someone is in the same family as another person: Big cities can be lonely places if you have no friends or relations there. | ‘What relation is she to you?’ ‘She’s my half sister.’ | He’s no relation to the singer.
   ▪ descendant someone who is a family member of a person who lived and died a long time ago, for example the great-grandchild of that person: The people are the descendants of slaves who were brought over from Africa.
   ▪ ancestor a member of your family who lived a long time ago, especially hundreds of years ago: My ancestors originally came from Ireland.
   ▪ forefathers especially written people in your family who lived a long time ago - often used in historical descriptions: His forefathers came to America over a century ago.
   ▪ extended family a family group that consists not only of parents and children, but also includes grandparents, aunts etc: Extended families rarely live together in Britain, but they are still important.
   ▪ folks especially American English informal your family, especially your parents: Are you going to see your folks at Christmas?
   ▪ next of kin the person or people who are most closely related to you, for example your husband or mother, and who need to be told if something serious happens to you: The next of kin must be notified of his death before his name is released to the press.

II

relative² W2 adjective1. having a particular quality when compared with something else:
    The relative merits of both approaches have to be considered.
    her opponent’s relative lack of experience
    You may think you’re poor, but it’s all relative (=you are not poor compared to some people).
2. relative to something formal connected with a particular subject:
    facts relative to this issue