{
    "term": "relative",
    "partOfSpeech": "adjective",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "considered and judged by being compared with something else",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "You must consider the **relative merits** of the two plans."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to assess the **relative importance** of each of these factors."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We need to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "referring to an earlier noun, sentence or part of a sentence",
            "labels": "(grammar)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "In ‘the man who came’, ‘who’ is a **relative pronoun** and ‘who came’ is a **relative clause**."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Language"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "that exists or that has a particular quality only when compared with something else",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They now live **in relative comfort** *(= compared with how they lived before)*."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We won the game with **relative ease**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Given the failure of the previous plan, this turned out to be a relative success."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**It's all relative** though, isn't it? We never had any money when I was a kid and $500 was a fortune to us."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "comparative"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "in comparison with somebody/something else; in relation to somebody/something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the position of the sun relative to the earth"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The movements of the continents relative to each other can be measured."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company employs too many people relative to the size of its business."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "having a connection with somebody/something; concerning somebody/something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He may have information relative to the case."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈrelətɪv/",
                "audio": "re/relative/relative__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈrelətɪv/",
                "audio": "re/relative/relative__us_4.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Old French relatif, -ive, from late Latin relativus ‘having reference or relation’, from the verb referre ‘carry back’, from re- ‘back’ + ferre ‘bring’."
}