Meaning & use
relativistic
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounphysics
Describing motion or effects at speeds so close to the speed of light that relativity theory must be used.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: relativistic speeds.
Patterns
- relativistic speeds
Particles in the accelerator reach relativistic speeds.
Relativistic effects slow the clock on a fast spacecraft.
The jet of gas is moving at relativistic velocity.
adjectivecomparableformal
Holding that truth or moral values depend on the person, culture or situation and are not absolute.
Grammar: Describes views or attitudes: a relativistic outlook.
Critics called his relativistic view of right and wrong dangerous.
The essay takes a relativistic position on beauty.
A relativistic approach says each culture has its own standards.
Common combinations
- relativistic speeds
- Cosmic rays travel at relativistic speeds.
- relativistic effects
- GPS satellites must correct for relativistic effects.
- relativistic mass
- A moving particle gains relativistic mass.
- relativistic physics
- Relativistic physics describes the motion of the fastest objects.
- relativistic view
- He argued for a relativistic view of ethics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Einsteinian
- Einsteinian is used for ideas linked to Einstein and is less precise than relativistic.
- subjective
- Subjective describes opinions shaped by personal feeling, whereas relativistic in the second sense describes a theory that values vary by culture or situation.
- conditional
- Conditional means depending on something, but is much broader and does not refer to a philosophy.
Opposites
Word family
- relativity noun
- the theory that space and time depend on the observer
- relativism noun
- the view that truth or values are not absolute
- relativist noun
- a person who holds that view
- relatively adverb
- in comparison with something else
Commonly confused: relativistic or relative?
relativistic vs relative
Relative means compared with something else or a family member, and does not mean tied to Einstein's theory.
Practice
Which of these best fits the phrase relativistic speeds?
Choose one answer.
Relativistic speeds are a large fraction of the speed of light. The other speeds are tiny by comparison.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “relativistic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.