relevance

noun

rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vən(t)s How to pronounce relevance (audio)
1
a
: relation to the matter at hand
b
: practical and especially social applicability : pertinence
giving relevance to college courses
2
: the ability (as of an information retrieval system) to retrieve material that satisfies the needs of the user

Examples of relevance in a Sentence

I appreciate that you did the dishes tonight, but that has no relevance to my enforcement of the punishment you got earlier this week.
Recent Examples on the Web That doesn’t change the fact that nowhere more than Detroit, arguably the Blackest big city in America, is the political relevance of race more obvious — and more potent. Keith A. Owens, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2024 Taking the stage after winning the award for Best International Feature Film, Glazer said that his film about the Holocaust has a lot of relevance to the present moment. Christian Holub, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Other sponsors of relevance to the entertainment industry include Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, SiriusXM, Amazon MGM Studios, and Disney’s own film studio. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 As long as the product appears accomplished enough to warrant a theatrical release, artistic relevance is secondary. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 On Friday, defense and prosecuting attorneys questioned independent investigator Ronald Martinelli in front of a judge to assess the reliability and relevance of his testimony. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 The city is searching for relevance in the modern technology landscape. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 And Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s underachievement has an additional wider contextual relevance. Mark Hughes, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Here’s a look at how investigative genetic genealogy works generally, its relevance to the Idaho student murders case and why Kohberger’s defense has focused on it. Eric Levenson, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relevance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1787, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of relevance was in 1787

Dictionary Entries Near relevance

Cite this Entry

“Relevance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relevance. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

relevance

noun
rel·​e·​vance ˈrel-ə-vən(t)s How to pronounce relevance (audio)
: relation to the matter at hand : pertinence

Legal Definition

relevance

noun
rel·​e·​vance ˈre-lə-vəns How to pronounce relevance (audio)
: the quality or state of being relevant : relation to the matter at hand
ruled on the relevance of the testimony
relevance in discovery has been broadly interpreted

More from Merriam-Webster on relevance

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