unrelated

British  

/ ˌʌnrɪˈleɪtɪd /

adjective

1. not connected or associated

   an unrelated incident

2. not connected by kinship or marriage

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Explanation

Unrelated is a good way to describe things that aren't connected or linked in any way. You might insist that your dented car bumper is unrelated to your neighbor's smashed mailbox. Things that have no connection are unrelated: your excellent test grade is unrelated to the shoes your wore on the day you took it, and your inability remember the name of the movie you just watched is unrelated to the fact that the sun is shining. You can also describe two people who aren't in the same family as unrelated. The Latin root is relatus, a past participle of referre, "bring back."

Example Sentences

In an unrelated move, the index’s biggest gainer was German food delivery company Delivery Hero, which rose more than 10% after it disclosed a $11.60 billion takeover offer from Uber.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026

Cao suspected that these seemingly unrelated mutations might not actually act independently.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2026

But Reform say the property purchase was completely unrelated to Harborne's payment and was instead funded with money from his appearance on the ITV reality programme.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Officials pay closest attention to core PCE, which strips out food and energy, whose price swings are often unrelated to the underlying economy.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

You start with an incomplete roster of facts, characterized by their ambiguity; often the problem consists of discovering the connections between unrelated pieces of information.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• extraneous
• inappropriate
• irrelevant
• unconnected