relation
[noun]
Synonyms:
- connection, bearing, bond, comparison, correlation, link
- relative, kin, kinsman or kinswoman
- kinship, affinity, kindred

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English Thesaurus: relative, relation, descendant, ancestor, forefathers, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

re‧la‧tion S2 W1 /rɪˈleɪʃən/ noun
[Word Family: noun: relation, relations, relationship, relative; adjective: related ≠ unrelated, relative; verb: relate; adverb: relatively]

1. BETWEEN PEOPLE/COUNTRIES relations [plural]
a) official connections between countries, companies, organizations etc
relations with
Britain threatened to break off diplomatic relations with the regime.
relations between
Relations between the two countries have improved recently.
b) the way in which people or groups of people behave towards each other
relations between
Relations between workers and management are generally good. ⇒ public relations

2. in relation to something formal
a) used to talk about something that is connected with or compared with the thing you are talking about:
Women’s earnings are still low in relation to men’s.
b) formal concerning:
latest developments in relation to the disease

3. CONNECTION [uncountable and countable] a connection between two or more things Synonym : relationship
relation between
the relation between prices and wages
The price the meat is sold for bears no relation to (=is not connected to) the price the farmer receives.

4. FAMILY [countable] a member of your family Synonym : relative:
We have relations in Canada and Scotland.
relation of/to
What relation are you to Jessica?
close/distant relation
Steve is a distant relation of my wife. ⇒ blood relation, ⇒ poor relation at poor(11)

5. have (sexual) relations (with somebody) old-fashioned to have sex with someone

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

relation
noun
I. connection between two or more things
ADJ. causal | direct The energy an animal uses is in direct relation to speed and body mass.
close The study shows the close relation between poverty and ill health.
significant
VERB + RELATION bear, have The film bore no relation to (= was very different from) the book. The fee bears little relation to the service provided.
show
PREP. in ~ to Similar policies were pursued in the 1970s, particularly in relation to health services.
~ between, ~ to the relation of the subject to the object

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relation
II. member of sb's family
ADJ. close, near | distant | blood | poor (often figurative) Other sparkling wines are often considered the poor relations of champagne.
VERB + RELATION visit
PREP. ~ to What relation is Rita to you?
PHRASES friends and relations 3 relations between people/groups/countries
ADJ. close, cordial, friendly, good, harmonious | improved | difficult, poor, strained | class, diplomatic, economic, foreign, gender, human, industrial, international, labour, personal, political, power, public, race, sexual, social, trade The change of government led to improved industrial relations. a public relations exercise
Anglo-American, East-West, etc.
VERB + RELATION cultivate, develop, establish, foster the need to establish good relations with our European partners
break off, damage, sever, suspend Diplomatic relations have been broken off between the two countries.
improve, strengthen Renewed efforts are being made to improve the strained relations between the two countries.
restore, resume | regulate the mechanisms that regulate the relations between labour and capital
RELATION + VERB improve Relations between the two states have improved.
deteriorate, sour, worsen
PREP. ~ among, ~ between, ~ with
PHRASES an improvement in relations

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relation

close
Many Japanese favor closer relations with the U.S.
good
Relations between neighbours on the estate are very good.
friendly
He had begun to establish friendly relations with his co-workers.
race relations (=relations between people from different races who live in the same place)
New government measures aim to improve race relations in inner cities.
industrial relations (also labour relations British English, labor relations American English) (=relations between managers and workers)
Good industrial relations are in everyone’s best interests.
diplomatic relations (also international/foreign relations) (=official relations between two countries)
By then, Canada and Britain had established diplomatic relations with North Korea.
This visit was the President’s most important breakthrough in international relations.
community relations (=relations between different groups in society)
Two police officers are responsible for community relations in the area.
break off relations
After the incident, Croatia broke off all relations with Serbia.
establish/develop relations
The company has tried to establish relations with several universities.
maintain relations
The Indian government had sought to maintain good relations with China.
restore/resume relations (=begin them again after they were stopped or interrupted)
Kenya and Uganda agreed to restore full diplomatic relations.
improve relations
The government emphasized the need to improve relations with neighbouring countries.
sour relations (=make them less friendly)
The dispute has soured relations between the two countries.
enjoy good relations (=have good relations)
For years, the company enjoyed good relations with its workers
a close relation (=a brother, parent, aunt etc )
Many of her close relations live nearby.
a distant relation
He was some distant relation of Pollitt’s wife.
a blood relation (=one related by birth not marriage)
It seems natural to share a house with blood relations.
a relation by marriage
She’s a relation by marriage because she married my cousin.
friends and relations
We miss our friends and relations in the UK.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

relation
noun
1.
BAD: I thought that offering to help him might improve our relation.
GOOD: I thought that offering to help him might improve our relationship.
BAD: The relation between teachers and students is very friendly.
GOOD: The relationship between teachers and students is very friendly.

Usage Note:
RELATION · RELATIONSHIP ·RELATIONS
Relation (1) the way in which one person or thing is connected with another: ‘We’ve been studying the relation between gender and income.’ ‘This latest murder bears no relation to the earlier killings.’
(2) someone who belongs to your family; relative: ‘She took me back home to meet all her friends and relations.’
Relationship the way that two people, groups or countries feel about each other and behave towards each other: ‘What kind of relationship did you have with your father?’ ‘Successful companies know the importance of establishing good relationships with their customers.’ ‘This decision will not affect the relationship between France and its European partners.’
Relations (plural noun) the way that two groups, countries or regions publicly or officially feel about and behave towards each other: ‘Relations between the two countries have steadily deteriorated in recent years.’ ‘The police are making great efforts to improve relations with the public.’

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2.
BAD: The new government is trying to improve its relation with America.
GOOD: The new government is trying to improve relations with America.

Usage Note:
See Language Note above

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

relative a member of your family, especially one who does not live with you:
Most of her relatives were able to come to the wedding.
We have some distant relatives in Australia.
relation a member of your family. Relation means the same as relative. It is often used when talking about whether someone is in the same family as another person:
Big cities can be lonely places if you have no friends or relations there.
‘What relation is she to you?’ ‘She’s my half sister.’
He’s no relation to the singer.
descendant someone who is a family member of a person who lived and died a long time ago, for example the great-grandchild of that person:
The people are the descendants of slaves who were brought over from Africa.
ancestor a member of your family who lived a long time ago, especially hundreds of years ago:
My ancestors originally came from Ireland.
forefathers especially written people in your family who lived a long time ago - often used in historical descriptions:
His forefathers came to America over a century ago.
extended family a family group that consists not only of parents and children, but also includes grandparents, aunts etc:
Extended families rarely live together in Britain, but they are still important.
folks especially American English informal your family, especially your parents:
Are you going to see your folks at Christmas?
next of kin the person or people who are most closely related to you, for example your husband or mother, and who need to be told if something serious happens to you:
The next of kin must be notified of his death before his name is released to the press.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

relation
rɪˈleɪʃən
See: in relation to or with relation to

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲