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relative incidence

relative incidence

7.4
How often something happens compared with something else
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : incidencia relativa
  • Researchers examined the relative incidence of infections between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

Examples

  • The relative incidence of heart disease was higher in men than in women in the study.

  • Environmental factors can affect the relative incidence of certain plant diseases across different regions.

  • The relative incidence of diabetes has increased over the last decade.

  • Researchers studied the relative incidence of heart disease in different age groups.

  • Researchers examined the relative incidence of infections between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

  • Environmental factors can affect the relative incidence of certain plant diseases across different regions.

  • The relative incidence of heart disease was higher in men than in women in the study.

Synonyms

ratio
vsrelative incidence
  • Specialized
240 2.8

A relationship between two numbers showing how many times one is in the other

uses this to compare occurrence frequencies specifically
proportion
vsrelative incidence
  • Specialized
123 3.5

A part of a whole often shown as a fraction or ratio

is about comparing occurrence rates between things rather than part to whole
relative frequency
vsrelative incidence
  • Specialized
1 5.1

The number of times something happens compared with the total number of cases

focuses on comparing occurrence rates between things rather than general numeric relations

How Common

relative incidence
  • Specialized
7.4
incidence
45 5.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

relative + incidence

The noun phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun composition: 'relative' (judged in relation) modifies 'incidence' (frequency), so the meaning of frequency expressed in comparison is directly inferable from the parts. This is a compositional, cross‑linguistically common pattern (though somewhat formal/technical), making it transparent to learners who know both words.

Etymology

Relative incidence comes from two simple ideas: relative (showing a comparison) and incidence (how often something happens). Imagine two groups—if one has more sick people than the other, the relative incidence compares 'how often' the sickness happens between them, so the phrase is used to show differences in frequency.