- having or involving a speed close to that of light so that the behaviour is described by the theory of relativity rather than by Newtonian mechanics: a relativistic electron, a relativistic velocity
- of, concerned with, or involving relativity
- of or relating to relativism
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
rel•a•tiv•is•tic
(rel′ə tə vis′tik),USA pronunciation adj.
rel′a•tiv•is′ti•cal•ly, adv.
- of or pertaining to relativity or relativism.
- Physics
- subject to the special or the general theory of relativity.
- Physics(of a velocity) having a magnitude that is a significant fraction of the speed of light.
- Physics(of a particle) having a relativistic velocity:radiation from relativistic electrons.
- relativist + -ic 1885–90
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
relativistic /ˌrɛlətɪˈvɪstɪk/ adj
'relativistic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):