relatively

adverb

rel·​a·​tive·​ly ˈre-lə-tiv-lē 

: to a relative degree or extent : somewhat

a relatively small group of people

relatively cool weather

The house is relatively new.

Phrases

relatively speaking

1

: when compared to others that are similar

The procedure was quick, relatively speaking.

Relatively speaking, the movie wasn't bad.

2

—used to say that something is true or correct as a general statement even if it is not entirely true or correct

The trip was, relatively speaking, a disaster.

Synonyms

• enough
• fairly
• kind of
• kindly [chiefly Southern]
• like
• moderately
• more or less
• pretty
• quite
• rather
• something
• somewhat
• sort of

Examples of relatively in a Sentence

these newly acquired in-laws felt relatively comfortable at our family reunion

Recent Examples on the Web

In most seasons, a star player scoring a little bit more is a relatively mundane outcome. —Nick Ashbourne, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025

Across the land, there are many thoughtful, or relatively thoughtful, Trump defenders. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 19 Feb. 2025

Mortgage rates have followed the trend of longer-term Treasury yields, which have remained relatively high in part because the U.S. economy has remained remarkably solid and because inflation hasn’t eased as much as hoped. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

That capacitance is relatively easy to measure, allowing the team to track the behavior of the nearby wire. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing relatively

• relatively prime

Kids Definition

relatively

adverb

rel·​a·​tive·​ly

ˈrel-ət-iv-lē

: somewhat entry 2