related
Americanadjective
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associated; connected.
- Synonyms:
- affiliated, relevant
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allied by nature, origin, kinship, marriage, etc.
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narrated, recounted, or told.
There were two eyewitnesses, but their related accounts were completely different.
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Music. (of chords, scales, or tones) having a close harmonic or melodic connection.
adjective
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connected; associated
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connected by kinship or marriage
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(in diatonic music) denoting or relating to a key that has notes in common with another key or keys
Other Word Forms
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.
FBI spokesperson Laura Eimiller confirmed a related search warrant was served at Ontario International Airport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
A judge overseeing a case related to cultural-funding requirements asked lawyers for the Canadian government to disclose Ottawa’s plans regarding streamers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
"We spoke about our joint capabilities related to Patriots and other systems. Our teams are already working on specific solutions to move to co-production as quickly as possible and increase our capabilities to protect lives."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
It also said it had sold off the trademark and other assets related to Maple Street Biscuit Co. a fast-casual chain it had owned, and said it would close that chain’s 16 remaining locations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Notes with a close relationship have frequencies that can be written as a ratiol2 of two small whole numbers; the smaller the numbers, the more closely related the notes are.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
