What is "relative term"

Relative \Rel"a*tive\ (r?l"?-t?v), a. [F. relatif, L. relativus. See Relate.]

1. Having relation or reference; referring; respecting; standing in connection; pertaining; as, arguments not relative to the subject.

   I'll have grounds More relative than this.
   --Shak.

2. Arising from relation; resulting from connection with, or reference to, something else; not absolute.

   Every thing sustains both an absolute and a relative capacity: an absolute, as it is such a thing, endued with such a nature; and a relative, as it is a part of the universe, and so stands in such a relations to the whole.
   --South.

3. (Gram.) Indicating or expressing relation; refering to an antecedent; as, a relative pronoun.

4. (Mus.) Characterizing or pertaining to chords and keys, which, by reason of the identify of some of their tones, admit of a natural transition from one to the other.
   --Moore (Encyc. of Music).

   Relative clause (Gram.), a clause introduced by a relative pronoun.

   Relative term, a term which implies relation to, as guardian to ward, matter to servant, husband to wife. Cf. Correlative.

A relative term is a term that makes two or more distinct references to objects (which may be the same object, for example in "The Morning Star is the Evening Star"). A relative term is typically expressed in ordinary language by means of a phrase with explicit or implicit blanks. Examples:

• __ loves __
• __ is the same object as __
• __ is giver of __ to __.

The word is is a relative term when it expresses identity.

The colloquial meaning for a relative term is that it is different for different people or situations. An example: someone who is 5 feet tall might think someone who is 5 feet six inches tall is tall, but someone who is 6 feet would think that that person is short. An atom is big compared to a quark, but it is very small when compared to a body cell. Fast food may be healthier than preserved food, but unhealthy compared to organic produce.