Relevance
/ˈrɛləvəns/
Definitions
The state of being connected with or important to a subject or matter.
/ˈrɛləvəns/
The quality of being closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand.
The article's relevance to current events made it highly popular.
💡 Simply: Relevance is like when something is important or connected to what you're talking about. Imagine you're talking about dogs, and someone brings up cats—it might not have much relevance!
👶 For kids: When something is related or makes sense to what you are talking about. Like, if we are talking about apples, and you say 'apples are red!' That is relevant!
More Examples
The committee discussed the relevance of each proposal to their overall goals.
He questioned the relevance of the information presented.
How It's Used
"The judge questioned the relevance of the witness's testimony."
"Data analytics helps businesses determine the relevance of various marketing strategies."
"She struggled to establish the relevance of her point to the main topic during the meeting."
From Old French *relevance*, from *relever* 'to relieve, raise' (modern French *relever*), from Latin *relevare* 'to lift up again, lighten, alleviate'.
Used from the 14th century, initially in a more general sense, gradually focusing on the idea of importance and applicability.
Memory tip
Think of *relevance* as the quality of 'relating' or 'bearing on' the topic.