Relative ˈrelətɪv Assess Compared Somebody/Something Adjective Merits Plans

• you must consider the relative merits of the two plans.
• we need to assess the relative importance of each of these factors.
• we need to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system.
• in ‘the man who came’, ‘who’ is a relative pronoun and ‘who came’ is a relative clause.

relative

1. considered and judged by being compared with something else
• You must consider the relative merits of the two plans.
• We need to assess the relative importance of each of these factors.
• We need to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system.
2. referring to an earlier noun, sentence or part of a sentence
• In ‘the man who came’, ‘who’ is a relative pronoun and ‘who came’ is a relative clause.
3. that exists or that has a particular quality only when compared with something else
• SYNONYM comparative
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/comparative_2
• They now live in relative comfort (= compared with how they lived before).
• We won the game with relative ease.
• Given the failure of the previous plan, this turned out to be a relative success.
• 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.
4. in comparison with somebody/something else; in relation to somebody/something
• the position of the sun relative to the earth
• The movements of the continents relative to each other can be measured.
• The company employs too many people relative to the size of its business.
5. having a connection with somebody/something; concerning somebody/something
• He may have information relative to the case.

Word Origin

• 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’.