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Definition of "relevance" []

  • Pertinence to the matter at hand. (noun)
  • Applicability to social issues: a governmental policy lacking relevance. (noun)
  • Computer Science The capability of a search engine or function to retrieve data appropriate to a user's needs. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "relevance" in a sentence
  • "˜Relevance™ in relevance theory, then, should not be taken to be just our ordinary conception of relevance; nor should it be equated with the ˜relevance™ of Grice's maxim, although it is connected to that and intended to provide a deepened understanding of what underlies the maxim."
  • "I think that "bookstores are declining in relevance" is a little harsh."
  • "And just as Murdoch symbolised the mainstream media industry at the peak of its power and used its influence so deftly, so his decline in relevance is a sharp reminder that the media establishment is all in the same boat."