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.
He has portrayed the current sparse intra-party discussion related to Israel as major progress.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
Almost 75% of the convictions related to male offenders.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
The tax would harm construction, brokerage, interior design, maintenance and high-end retail — real-estate related industries that support thousands of jobs.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026
“The two countries are today guided by related political models. ... To reconstruct the ties is urgent in these times.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Musically, the shape of the instrument is important since the shape is directly related to sound and sound production.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
