Phrase guide

principle of relativity

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The principle that only the motion of objects relative to one another can be measured, and that there is no absolute frame of reference.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: relativity

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(physics) a universal law that states that the laws of mechanics are not affected by a uniform rectilinear motion of the system of coordinates to which they are referred

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: law, law of nature

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: пры́нцып адно́снасці (prýncyp adnósnasci) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Chinese Mandarin: 相對性原理 /相对性原理 (xiāngduìxìng yuánlǐ) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Chinese Mandarin: 相對論 /相对论 (xiāngduìlún) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Finnish: suhteellisuusperiaate — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Galician: principio da relatividade — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Georgian: ფარდობითობის პრინციპი (pardobitobis ṗrinciṗi) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Hindi: आपेक्षिकता सिद्धांत (āpekṣiktā siddhānt) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Polish: zasada względności — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Russian: при́нцип относи́тельности (príncip otnosítelʹnosti) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured
  • Ukrainian: при́нцип відно́сності (prýncyp vidnósnosti) — principle that only motion of objects can be measured