Definition

Adjective: 1. Pertaining to or expressing a relation or connection between things: Describes something that involves, concerns, or is based on the way in which two or more things are connected or related to each other. 2. (In computing and databases) Based on a data model that organizes data into tables of rows and columns, with relationships between tables: Describes a system, database, or model where data is structured in relations (tables) and links are defined between them.

Usage Examples

• General Use:

  • The study takes a relational approach, focusing on the connections between social factors and individual health.
  • Our understanding of identity is often relational, shaped by our interactions with others.

• Computing/Database Use:

  • Most business data is stored in a relational database like MySQL or PostgreSQL.
  • The relational model is a fundamental concept for organizing structured data.

Advanced Usage

• Relational algebra: A formal system for manipulating relations (tables) in a database, using operations like select, project, and join.

  • Understanding relational algebra is key to writing efficient SQL queries.

• Relational ontology: A philosophical view that being or existence is fundamentally constituted by relations.

  • The philosopher argued for a relational ontology, where nothing exists in isolation.

Variants and Related Words

• Relation (n): The way in which two or more people or things are connected; a person who is connected by blood or marriage.
• Relationship (n): The state of being connected; the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave toward each other.
• Relationally (adv): In a way that concerns relations.
  • The concepts are understood relationally, not in absolute terms.

Synonyms

• Connective: Serving to connect.
• Correlative: Having a mutual relationship.
• Interrelated: Mutually related.

Antonyms

• Absolute: Viewed or existing independently.
• Unrelated: Not connected or associated.
• Isolated: Far away from other places, buildings, or people; single or separated.

Related Phrases/Concepts

• Relational database management system (RDBMS): A software system for creating and managing relational databases (e.g., Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server).
• Relational operator: In programming and mathematics, an operator that defines a relationship between two values (e.g., equals , greater than , less than ).

Adjective

1. having a relation or being related