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Relevant vs Timely - What's the difference?

relevant | timely | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between relevant and timely

is that relevant is directly related, connected, or pertinent to a topic while timely is done at the proper time.

As an adverb timely is

in good time; early, quickly.

relevant

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Directly related, connected, or pertinent to a topic.
  • His mother provided some relevant background information concerning his medical condition.
  • Not out of date; current.
  • * {{quote-news, year=1973, date=December 20, title=Hansen says Christmas time for thanks, hope, work=The Aberdeen Times citation
  • , passage=The message of Christmas is still relevant as we near the end of a troubled year and the beginning of an uncertain but challenging new year.}}
  • * {{quote-book, year=2008, author=Scott Cooper, Fritz Grutzner, Birk Cooper, title=Tips and Traps for Marketing Your Business, publisher=McGraw-Hill, isbn=978-0071494892 citation
  • , passage=Motorola was quickly losing the cell-phone battle to Nokia for a time. When they launched the RAZR phone and combined it with their "Hello Moto" campaign, it made the brand relevant again.}}

    Synonyms

    * applicable * germane * in point (legal) * pertinent * salient * significant

    Antonyms

    *

    Derived terms

    * safety-relevant

    Anagrams

    * ----

    timely

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Done at the proper time.
  • Happening or appearing at the proper time.
  • * Milton
  • The timely dew of sleep.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=October 20 , author=Jamie Lillywhite , title=Tottenham 1 - 0 Rubin Kazan , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=The athletic Walker, one of Tottenham's more effective attacking elements with his raids from right-back, made a timely intervention after Rose had been dispossessed and even Aaron Lennon was needed to provide an interception in the danger zone to foil another attempt by the Russians.}}
  • (obsolete) Keeping time or measure.
  • (Spenser)

    Synonyms

    * (done at the proper time ): well-timed * (happening or appearing at the proper time ): opportune, seasonable

    Antonyms

    * (done at the proper time ): badly timed, ill-timed * (happening or appearing at the proper time ): inopportune, unseasonable

    Derived terms

    * mistimely * overtimely * timelily * timeliness * timely-parted * untimely

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (archaic) In good time; early, quickly.
  • * 2000 , (George RR Martin), A Storm of Swords , Bantam 2011, p. 587:
  • ‘If I had been born more timely , he said, Rhaegar would have married me instead of Elia, and it would all have come out different.’
  • (obsolete) At the right time; seasonably.
  • * 1646 , (Thomas Browne), Pseudodoxia Epidemica :
  • And this we shall more readily perform, if we timely survey our knowledge, impartially singling out those encroachments, which junior compliance and popular credulity hath admitted.

    See also

    * seasonably