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relativo

reh-lah-TEE-boh/re.laˈti.βo/

“relativo” means “relative” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

relative

Also: comparative
A small cat sitting next to a very large elephant to show their relative sizes.

📝 In Action

La verdad es relativa; depende de quién la mire.

B1

The truth is relative; it depends on who is looking at it.

El éxito de la empresa es relativo si lo comparamos con el año pasado.

B2

The company's success is relative if we compare it to last year.

Vivimos en una calma relativa.

C1

We are living in a relative calm.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • importancia relativa – relative importance
  • valor relativo – relative value
  • todo es relativo – everything is relative

concerning, relating to

Also: regarding
AdjectivemB2formal
A magnifying glass hovering over a map of a park.

📝 In Action

Tengo dudas relativas al nuevo contrato.

B2

I have doubts regarding the new contract.

No hay información relativa a ese tema.

B2

There is no information relating to that topic.

Las leyes relativas al medio ambiente son estrictas.

C1

The laws concerning the environment are strict.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • referente a (referring to)
  • vinculado a (linked to)

Antonyms

  • ajeno (unrelated/foreign to)

Common Collocations

  • relativo a – relating to / concerning
  • lo relativo a – the matters concerning

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "relativo" in Spanish:

comparative→concerning→regarding→relating to→relative→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: relativo

Question 1 of 3

Which of the following means 'Everything is relative'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
relacionar(to relate/connect) — Verb
relación(relationship) — Noun
relativamente(relatively) — Adverb
relatividad(relativity) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin word 'relativus', which comes from 'referre' (to carry back). It literally means something that refers back to something else.

First recorded: 15th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: relativeFrench: relatifItalian: relativo

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'relativo' ever a noun?

In grammar, it can refer to words like 'que' or 'quien' (pronombres relativos), but in everyday speech, it is almost always used as an adjective.

Does 'relativo' always change to 'relativa'?

Yes, it behaves like most adjectives ending in -o. It changes to match the gender of the noun it is describing.

Is 'relativo a' the same as 'sobre'?

They are similar, but 'relativo a' is more precise and formal. It means 'pertaining specifically to,' while 'sobre' just means 'about'.