Meaning & use
relatives
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“relatives” is a form of “relative”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
People connected to someone by blood, marriage, or adoption, such as aunts, cousins, parents, or in-laws.
Grammar: Plural noun: use relatives for more than one family member; one person is a relative.
Patterns
- visit relatives
- close relatives
- distant relatives
- relatives by marriage
We visit my relatives every summer.
She invited only close relatives to the ceremony.
His relatives by marriage live in Canada.
Word forms
| singular | relative |
|---|
Common combinations
- close relatives
- Close relatives helped them move into the new apartment.
- distant relatives
- I have distant relatives in Ireland whom I have never met.
- visit relatives
- They plan to visit relatives during the holiday.
- relatives by marriage
- Her relatives by marriage joined the family video call.
Synonyms and how they differ
- relations
- British and somewhat formal; in American English relatives is more natural.
- kin
- Formal or old-fashioned; often means family collectively rather than individual people.
- family
- Broader and warmer; can mean household members or the whole family network, not only connected people.
- folks
- Informal; usually means one's parents or family in general, not precise blood relations.
Word family
- relative adjective
- Considered in comparison with something else, not absolute.
- relatively adverb
- To a fairly or comparatively moderate degree.
- relation noun
- A connection or family member; family relations can mean relationships or relatives.
Commonly confused: relatives or relations? relatives or relative?
relatives vs relations
In British English relations can mean relatives, but in business it more often means connections: public relations.
relatives vs relative
The singular relative is one family member; relatives is plural and refers to two or more.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
Relatives is plural, so it takes are; relative is singular and would take is, while relatively is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relatives”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.