Meaning & use

relativistic

adjective·Advanced

Relating to, or based on, Einstein's theory of relativity, especially effects that become significant at speeds close to that of light.

See it in a sentence

At near light speed, relativistic effects cause time to pass more slowly for the traveler.

Engineers must account for relativistic corrections when calibrating GPS satellites.

A note on using this word

Relativistic is used mainly in physics; loosely, it can also describe an idea that values are relative rather than absolute, though that use is less common.

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