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Glite Dictionary
relational adjective

relational adjective

8.1
A word that tells the type of a noun, not what it is like
  • noun
  • /rɪˈleɪʃənəl ˈædʒɛktɪv/
  • Specialized
translation icon : adjetivo relacional
  • In the phrase 'musical instrument', the adjective 'musical' serves as a relational adjective that defines the type of instrument.

Examples

  • In 'chemical reaction', the word 'chemical' functions as a relational adjective limiting the type of reaction.

  • Linguistics textbooks often explain the role of a relational adjective in modifying a noun's category.

  • Teachers ask students to identify whether an adjective is descriptive or a relational adjective in many sentence exercises.

  • A relational adjective helps specify the type of noun.

  • The term relational adjectives refers to specific types of adjectives.

  • In grammar class, students learn that 'nervous' in 'nervous disease' is a relational adjective indicating the category of the disease.

  • When analyzing sentences, identifying a relational adjective helps students understand how adjectives can limit noun meanings.

Synonyms

classifying adjective
vsrelational adjective
  • Specialized
7.4

An adjective that shows the type of a noun, for example 'wooden' in 'wooden spoon'

focuses on relating the noun to something else rather than naming its class

Antonyms

descriptive adjective
  • Specialized
3.4

Word that describes a quality of a thing, like tall or blue

Surface Forms

relational adjective singular
relational adjectives plural

Morphology

relational + adjective

The phrase literally combines 'relational' (pertaining to relations) + 'adjective' (a word class), so a learner who knows both words can infer it is an adjective that expresses relation or class membership rather than describing sensory qualities. Although the term is somewhat technical in linguistics, its meaning is fully compositional and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner familiar with the constituents would grasp the basic concept.

Etymology

The term relational adjective comes from grammar and gives a simple image: adjective is like a label, and relational means the label shows a relation or 'type' of the noun rather than a quality. So relational adjectives like chemical in chemical reaction tell the kind of reaction, and that is why the term means an adjective that shows or limits the noun's type.