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relation

relation

103 8.3
Sex between people
  • noun
  • /rɪˈleɪʃən/
  • NSFW
translation icon : relación sexual
  • Many young people feel pressure to explore relations during their college years.
  • sexual relations
  • engage in sexual relations
  • intimate relations

You have been caught having sexual relations with your pet squirrel.

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Examples

  • So two years ago, I did not have sexual relations with that man.

  • The couple decided to engage in relations after years of friendship.

  • When, out of love, she agrees to have sexual relations with him, he loses faith in her too.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.

  • And when did you start having sexual relations with the Indagato?

  • When you say your sexual relations with Miss Lawson were intense, what exactly do you mean?

    Fiction book (1993)
  • According to Christian moral precepts, the main objective of sexual relations was procreation.

    Academic text (1999)
  • He was accused of having intimate relations with a 16-year-old girl, Irene Hoffman.

  • They both agreed that their relations would remain private and consensual.

Synonyms

love
vsrelation
  • NSFW
582 5.1

Sexual activity between two people, often including intercourse

is a formal term for the act itself without the affectionate implication
intercourse
vsrelation
  • NSFW
89 7.8

Sex that involves a man's penis entering a woman's vagina

is a formal term that does not stress physiological culmination
sexual relation
vsrelation
  • NSFW
62 3.4

Sex between people, for example in a romantic or casual relationship

is the formal term for the act itself rather than ongoing sexual contact
sexual intercourse
vsrelation
  • NSFW
31 3.2

An act in which one person's penis enters another person's vagina

is the formal label for the same physical sexual act between man and woman
sexual activity
vsrelation
  • NSFW
31 3.0

Physical acts between people, like touching or having sex, that give pleasure

is the formal term focused specifically on intercourse not all sexual behaviors
fornication
vsrelation
  • NSFW
21 9.6

Sex between people who are not married

is the formal term for the act without implying marital status or moral judgment
sex act
vsrelation
  • NSFW
19 3.7

Sexual activity between people, often intercourse

is the formal name for that same single sexual action between man and woman
copulation
vsrelation
  • NSFW
8 8.2

Sex in which a male inserts his penis into a female's vagina

is the formal word used more generally without biological emphasis
coitus
vsrelation
  • NSFW
8 8.5

An act in which a man puts his penis into a woman's vagina

is the formal term used generally without focusing on the specific motion
carnal knowledge
vsrelation
  • NSFW
2 8.3

Sex between people, usually meaning one person entering another, used in legal texts

is a formal general term not limited to legal usage or criminal cases
sexual congress
vsrelation
  • NSFW
1 7.5

To have sex with someone

is the formal label used especially for the act between man and woman
consummation
vsrelation
  • NSFW
1 8.3

The act of having sex that completes a marriage

is the formal word for sexual activity generally not limited to marriage completion
sexual union
vsrelation
  • NSFW
1 4.9

A male and female have sex to make babies

is the formal term that covers the act without implying reproductive purpose
coition
vsrelation
  • NSFW
9.9

Sex when a man's penis goes into a woman's vagina

is the formal name that covers the act without that explicit focus
sex activity
vsrelation
  • NSFW
3.1

Private actions between people that involve touching for pleasure

is the formal label for the act especially between man and woman
act of fornication
vsrelation
  • NSFW
8.3

Sex between two people who are not married to each other

is the formal expression that does not state marriage status of participants

Antonyms

abstinence
  • NSFW
63 6.4

Choosing not to do things like drinking alcohol or having sex

46 6.8

Not having sex often for religious or personal reasons

Compounds

62 3.4

Sex between people, for example in a romantic or casual relationship

A person who comes from the same family as you by birth, not by marriage

A connection between people or animals that shows how they interact

A connection between people that involves feelings or friendship

poor relation
  • Offensive
1 5.4

A person or thing that others see as less important than the rest of the group

How things are placed in space compared to each other

A connection between companies that helps them work together

conditional relation
  • Specialized
8.3

A link between two statements that says if one is true then the other must be true

A duty of company directors to act for the shareholders' benefit

A private professional relationship where a doctor cares for a patient

A formal connection between teachers and their students at school or university

anaphoric relation
  • Specialized
9.1

A link between a pronoun and the word that shows who or what it means

A relationship where a lawyer must act for a client's best interests and keep matters private

8.9

A relationship where one person trusts another who must act for their benefit

A professional relationship in which a lawyer must act for a client's benefit and keep information secret

6.7

A relationship between people or groups that the law recognizes, like lawyer and client

linguistic relation
  • Specialized
7.7

A connection between words or parts of a sentence, for example agreement between adjectives and nouns

logical relation
  • Specialized
6.3

A connection between multiple statements that shows if one follows another, is the same, or is the opposite

magnitude relation
  • Specialized
7.8

A way to compare sizes or amounts to show which is bigger

mathematical relation
  • Specialized
5.4

A connection between values that shows when they are equal or which is larger

A relationship between a doctor or nurse and a patient for health care

mirror-image relation
  • Specialized
9.1

A relationship where two molecules or crystals are exact mirror reflections of each other

grammatical relation
  • Specialized
6.2

The way words and phrases connect in a sentence, like subject or object

The way a nurse and a patient work together, with the nurse trying to help and protect the patient's health

A relationship between a trained helper and a person who gets their help, like a doctor or lawyer

quantitative relation
  • Specialized
6.7

A rule that shows how one amount changes with another

A legal relationship where a person in charge of a bankrupt person's property manages it for the people owed money

relation back
  • Formal
9.9

Treating a later court document as filed on an earlier date

7.0

A relation where a smaller part belongs to a larger whole, like a wheel and a car

5.5

A duty of people in a business together to act honestly and protect each other's interests

phylogenetic relation
  • Specialized
9.8

A relationship showing how species are related because they came from the same older species

A connection between people or groups about who has power and influence

semantic relation
  • Specialized
7.2

A connection between what words, phrases, or sentences mean

A formal school relationship where a teacher helps and guides students

temporal relation
  • Specialized
7.6

A connection between events based on when they happen

A legal relationship where one person must act in another person's best interest

7.5

A link showing how a thing is made of smaller pieces

Surface Forms

relation singular
relations plural

Morphology

relation = relate (opaque) = relate + ion

Although morphologically regular, the euphemistic sense 'sexual intercourse' is idiomatic and not derivable from the basic meaning for most learners.

Etymology

The word relation in phrases like 'carnal relations' uses the older idea of a 'connection' and the same Latin parts re- 'back' and ferre 'to carry'. So 'relations' here is a formal way to talk about a close physical 'connection' between people.