relevance

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The degree to which something has a real connection with, and importance for, the subject being discussed or the situation at hand.

   Grammar: Uncountable; usually followed by to: the relevance of this to the case.

   Patterns

   • relevance to something
   • the relevance of something
   • of relevance

   I do not see the relevance of that question to the topic.

   The judge asked about the relevance of the witness's testimony.

   These old rules have lost their relevance in modern schools.

Common combinations

relevance to

Explain the relevance to your research.

have little relevance

This detail has little relevance.

lose relevance

The old law lost its relevance.

of direct relevance

The study is of direct relevance to teachers.

question the relevance

Several members questioned the relevance of the proposal.

Synonyms and how they differ

pertinence

Pertinence is a formal word for the same idea, used in careful writing and arguments.

significance

Significance means how important something is, whereas relevance means how connected it is to the matter.

applicability

Applicability is about whether a rule or idea can be applied, not just whether it connects to the topic.

Opposites

Word family

relevant adjective

closely connected to the matter

irrelevant adjective

not connected

irrelevance noun

lack of connection

relevancy noun

a less common variant of relevance

Commonly confused: relevance or relevant? relevance or revelation?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “relevance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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