related
Americanadjective
-
associated; connected.
- Synonyms:
- affiliated, relevant
-
allied by nature, origin, kinship, marriage, etc.
-
narrated, recounted, or told.
There were two eyewitnesses, but their related accounts were completely different.
-
Music. (of chords, scales, or tones) having a close harmonic or melodic connection.
adjective
-
connected; associated
-
connected by kinship or marriage
-
(in diatonic music) denoting or relating to a key that has notes in common with another key or keys
Other Word Forms
- nonrelated adjective
- relatedly adverb
- relatedness noun
- unrelated adjective
Etymology
Origin of related
Explanation
Things are related when there's some connection or similarity between them. The fact that you caught a cold might be related to the fact that the kids you babysat sneezed and coughed all night long. People are related when they share a family connection, and other things are related by different kinds of connections. One poem is related to another if they come from the same school or movement of poetry, and a boy's dislike of baseball is probably related to the fact that his first coach yelled a lot. The verb relate is at the root of related, from the Latin relatus, "brought back."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Reacting strongly to flexible commodity prices, when supply constraints are present only in the related sectors, brings down inflation fast but risks a recession later," it said.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Base fees, or investment management fees that aren’t related to fund performance, grew 8% from a year earlier when stripping out the impact of market moves.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by psychologist Dr. Leanne ten Brinke whose new book, Poisonous People, explores the impact that people with psychopathic and related personality traits have on our everyday lives.
From Slate • Apr. 14, 2026
The State Bar has filed six misconduct charges against Khalifeh related to his alleged misuse of AI in a trademark case filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
It was hard to believe that such a fearful animal was related to wolves.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
