relevance
The state or quality of being closely connected, appropriate, or significant to the matter at hand. In communication and logic, it refers to how well a piece of information supports a specific topic or argument.
Examples
3 of 5I struggle to see the relevance of his childhood stories to our current project.
I struggle to see the relevance of his childhood stories to our current project.
The court ruled that the evidence was of no relevance to the defendant's guilt.
The court ruled that the evidence was of no relevance to the defendant's guilt.
Why are you bringing that up? It has zero relevance to what we're doing!
Why are you bringing that up? It has zero relevance to what we're doing!
Antonyms
Word Family
Memory Tip
Think of the word 'Related'. If information has relevance, it is 'Related' to the 'Evidence' (Rel-evance).
Quick Quiz
The professor questioned the ____ of the data to the overall hypothesis.
Correct!
The correct answer is: relevance
Examples
I struggle to see the relevance of his childhood stories to our current project.
everydayI struggle to see the relevance of his childhood stories to our current project.
The court ruled that the evidence was of no relevance to the defendant's guilt.
formalThe court ruled that the evidence was of no relevance to the defendant's guilt.
Why are you bringing that up? It has zero relevance to what we're doing!
informalWhy are you bringing that up? It has zero relevance to what we're doing!
The study explores the relevance of traditional teaching methods in the modern digital age.
academicThe study explores the relevance of traditional teaching methods in the modern digital age.
Companies must innovate constantly to maintain their market relevance.
businessCompanies must innovate constantly to maintain their market relevance.
Antonyms
Word Family
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
of direct relevance to
of direct relevance to
bear relevance to
bear relevance to
lack relevance
lack relevance
Often Confused With
Relativeness refers to the quality of being comparative or dependent on something else, whereas relevance refers to being connected or important to a topic.
Reliability refers to the consistency or trustworthiness of information, not its topical connection.
Usage Notes
The word is almost always followed by the preposition 'to' when indicating what the information is connected to. It is highly valued in academic writing to justify why a source or data point is being used.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes use the word 'relevant' (adjective) when they need the noun form 'relevance', or they forget the 'to' preposition (e.g., saying 'relevance for' instead of 'relevance to').
Memory Tip
Think of the word 'Related'. If information has relevance, it is 'Related' to the 'Evidence' (Rel-evance).
Word Origin
Derived from the Medieval Latin 'relevantia', from the Latin verb 'relevare', which literally means 'to raise up' or 'to assist'.
Grammar Patterns
Cultural Context
In modern technology, 'relevance' is a key term in computer science and SEO, referring to how well a search result matches a user's query.
Quick Quiz
The professor questioned the ____ of the data to the overall hypothesis.
Correct!
The correct answer is: relevance
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