2 ADJ Someone who is relentless is determined to do something and refuses to give up, even if what they are doing is unpleasant or cruel. □ Relentless in his pursuit of quality, his technical ability was remarkable. ● re|lent|less|ly ADV □ She always questioned me relentlessly.
rel|evance /re ləv ə ns/ N‑UNCOUNT Something's relevance to a situation or person is its importance or significance in that situation or to that person. □ [+ to ] Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.
rel|evant /re ləv ə nt/
1 ADJ Something that is relevant to a situation or person is important or significant in that situation or to that person. □ [+ to ] Is socialism still relevant to people's lives?
2 ADJ The relevant thing of a particular kind is the one that is appropriate. □ Make sure you enclose all the relevant certificates.
re|li|able ◆◇◇ /r I la I əb ə l/
1 ADJ People or things that are reliable can be trusted to work well or to behave in the way that you want them to. □ She was efficient and reliable. □ Japanese cars are so reliable. ● re|li|ably /r I la I əbli/ ADV □ It's been working reliably for years. ● re|li|abil|ity /r I la I əb I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ He's not at all worried about his car's reliability.
2 ADJ Information that is reliable or that is from a reliable source is very likely to be correct. □ There is no reliable information about civilian casualties. ● re|li|ably ADV □ Sonia, we are reliably informed, loves her family very much. ● re|li|abil|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ of ] Both questioned the reliability of recent opinion polls. SYNONYMS reliable ADJ 1
trustworthy: He is a trustworthy and level-headed leader.
dependable: He was a good friend, a dependable companion.
staunch: He's a staunch supporter of controls on government spending.
re|li|ance /r I la I əns/ N‑UNCOUNT A person's or thing's reliance on something is the fact that they need it and often cannot live or work without it. □ [+ on ] …the country's increasing reliance on foreign aid.
re|li|ant /r I la I ənt/
1 ADJ A person or thing that is reliant on something needs it and often cannot live or work without it. □ [+ on/upon ] These people are not wholly reliant on Western charity.
2 → see also self-reliant
rel|ic /re l I k/ (relics )
1 N‑COUNT If you refer to something or someone as a relic of an earlier period, you mean that they belonged to that period but have survived into the present. □ [+ of ] …an old lady in her eighties, always dressed in black - a relic of a past age.
2 N‑COUNT A relic is something which was made or used a long time ago and which is kept for its historical significance. □ …a museum of war relics.
re|lief ◆◆◇ /r I liː f/ (reliefs )
1 N‑VAR [oft a N ] If you feel a sense of relief , you feel happy because something unpleasant has not happened or is no longer happening. □ I breathed a sigh of relief. □ [+ to ] The news will come as a great relief to the French authorities.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If something provides relief from pain or distress, it stops the pain or distress. □ [+ from ] …a self-help programme which can give lasting relief from the torment of hay fever.
3 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n, n N ] Relief is money, food, or clothing that is provided for people who are very poor, or who have been affected by war or a natural disaster. □ Relief agencies are stepping up efforts to provide food, shelter and agricultural equipment.
4 N‑COUNT [usu N n] A relief worker is someone who does your work when you go home, or who is employed to do it instead of you when you are sick. □ No relief drivers were available.
5 → see also bas-relief , tax relief COLLOCATIONS relief NOUN
1
adjective + relief : blessed, great, huge, welcome; palpable
relief + be + adjective : short-lived
verb + relief : bring, offer, provide; express, feel; seek
3
noun + relief : disaster, emergency, famine, flood
adjective + relief : humanitarian
verb + relief : provide
re|lieve /r I liː v/ (relieves , relieving , relieved )
1 VERB If something relieves an unpleasant feeling or situation, it makes it less unpleasant or causes it to disappear completely. □ [V n] Meditation can relieve stress.
2 VERB If someone or something relieves you of an unpleasant feeling or difficult task, they take it from you. □ [V n + of ] A bookkeeper will relieve you of the burden of chasing unpaid invoices.
3 VERB If someone relieves you of something, they take it away from you. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + of ] A porter relieved her of the three large cases.
4 VERB If you relieve someone, you take their place and continue to do the job or duty that they have been doing. □ [V n] At seven o'clock the night nurse came in to relieve her.