It's all relative / Everything's relative (to what?)

[frogboxer]

And what does it mean when somebody says "It's all relative" or "Everything's relative"? I often hear it used when there is a clash of opinions on a given subject.
E.g., I think she's pretty. Dave thinks she's not pretty at all. It's all relative.

Is this correct? If not, what exactly does this phrase mean?

Thanks

[emsr2d2]

It's relative to whatever the speaker is comparing it to in their head.

[frogboxer]

Thanks - but is the given example somewhat accurate?

[emsr2d2]

The example is more likely to be heard as a conversation between two people.

John: I think Sarah's really pretty.
Dave: Do you? I don't really think so. She's OK, I guess.
John: Well, it's all relative.

John would have been comparing Sarah to other girls he knows and Dave would have been doing the same, but it's unlikely that they know the exact same girls.

I'm interested to know something about some of your questions. You are a native English speaker and, while I understand your queries about British punctuation because you're American, I'm surprised by some of your questions about the meaning of phrases. Do people not use "It's all relative" in AmE and you're asking about its use in BrE?

[frogboxer]

The example is more likely to be heard as a conversation between two people.

John: I think Sarah's really pretty.
Dave: Do you? I don't really think so. She's OK, I guess.
John: Well, it's all relative.

John would have been comparing Sarah to other girls he knows and Dave would have been doing the same, but it's unlikely that they know the exact same girls.

I'm interested to know something about some of your questions. You are a native English speaker and, while I understand your queries about British punctuation because you're American, I'm surprised by some of your questions about the meaning of phrases. Do people not use "It's all relative" in AmE and you're asking about its use in BrE?

Its use in BrE.

[probus]

Certainly in Canada some people use "It's all relative."