In comparison with something else, rather than in an absolute way.
From *relative* plus the adverbial suffix *-ly*. *Relative* comes from Latin *relativus*, from *referre* “to bring back, refer,” carrying the idea of referring one thing to another.
When people say something is ‘relatively easy,’ they’re secretly doing a mental comparison, even if they never say what it’s compared to. The word reminds us that many judgments are sliding-scale, not fixed.
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