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Synonyms

related

American  
[ri-ley-tid] / rɪˈleɪ tɪd /

adjective

  1. associated; connected.

    Synonyms:
    affiliated, relevant
  2. allied by nature, origin, kinship, marriage, etc.

    Synonyms:
    united, linked
  3. narrated, recounted, or told.

    There were two eyewitnesses, but their related accounts were completely different.

  4. Music. (of chords, scales, or tones) having a close harmonic or melodic connection.


related British  
/ rɪˈleɪtɪd /

adjective

  1. connected; associated

  2. connected by kinship or marriage

  3. (in diatonic music) denoting or relating to a key that has notes in common with another key or keys

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of related

First recorded in 1595–1605; relate + -ed 2

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."

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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.

Since 2020, the Public Prosecutor's Office has compiled complaints against 67 lawmakers for allegedly committing some 700 crimes, most of them related to corruption.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

SAG-AFTRA also said the union is prepared to take “legal actions related to the company’s conduct over the last several weeks.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

If you have completed your university education, you might be frustrated if you haven’t yet found a job related to your field of study.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

By examining such a large body of evidence together, the team was able to identify patterns related to both dosage and duration of use.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

The different ways to teach a song are related to children’s different learning styles, such as aural and visual learning, and the child’s appropriate cognitive development; e.g., age and grade development.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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