What does "relation" mean?
The manner in which two things may be associated.
Relation
/ɹɪˈleɪʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The manner in which two things may be associated.
- Grammar: relation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: association, correspondence, relative, about.
- Useful contrasts: absence of pattern, disconnection, irrelation.
- Usage evidence: Wages vary in relation to the age of the worker.
How to use "relation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "relation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "relation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "relation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "relation" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "relation" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "association" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "relation", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The manner in which two things may be associated. countable, uncountable
"The relation between diet and health is complex."
- 2 an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together wordnet
- 3 A member of one's extended family; a relative. countable, uncountable
"Yes, he's a relation of mine, but only a distant one."
- 4 (usually plural) mutual dealings or connections among persons or groups wordnet
- 5 A relationship; the manner in which and tone with which people or states, etc. interact. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"the foreign relations of the United States"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 sexual activity between individuals, especially the insertion of a man's penis into a woman's vagina until orgasm and ejaculation occur wordnet
- 7 The act of relating a story. countable, uncountable
"Your relation of the events is different from mine."
- 8 (law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time wordnet
- 9 A set of ordered tuples. countable, uncountable
"[…]Signs are, first of all, physical things: for example, chalk marks on a blackboard, pencil or ink marks on paper, sound waves produced in a human throat. According to Reichenbach, "What makes them signs is the intermediary position they occupy between an object and a sign user, i.e., a person." For a sign to be a sign, or to function as such, it is necessary that the person take account of the object it designates. Thus, anything in nature may or may not be a sign, depending on a person's attitude toward it. A physical thing is a sign when it appears as a substitute for, or representation of, the object for which it stands with respect to the sign user. The three-place relation between sign, object, and sign user is called the sign relation or relation of denotation."
- 10 an act of narration wordnet
- 11 A set of ordered tuples.; A set of ordered pairs; a binary relation. countable, uncountable
"Equality is a symmetric relation, while divisibility is not."
- 12 a person related by blood or marriage wordnet
- 13 A set of tuples, implemented as a table in a relational database. countable, uncountable
"This relation uses the customer's social security number as a key."
- 14 A statement of equality of two products of generators, used in the presentation of a group. countable, uncountable
- 15 A subobject of a product of objects. countable, uncountable
- 16 The act of intercourse. countable, in-plural, often, uncountable
"have relations with"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Wages vary in relation to the age of the worker."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "relation"?
Common synonyms include: association, correspondence, relative, about, absorption, academic relationship.
How do you use "relation" in a sentence?
Wages vary in relation to the age of the worker.
How do you pronounce "relation"?
Pronounced /ɹɪˈleɪʃən/.
Etymology
From Middle English relacion, relacioun, from Anglo-Norman relacioun and Old French relacion (whence French relation), from Latin relātiō, noun of process form from perfect passive participle relātus (“related”), from verb referō (“I refer, I relate”), from prefix re- (“again”) + ferō (“I bear, I carry”). By surface analysis, relate + -ion. Doublet of relazione.