related

related — adjective

1. When two or more things are related, a link exists between them — for example, o

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

When two or more things are related, a link exists between them — for example, one event causes another, they belong to the same subject area, or they share noticeable characteristics.

Example

The police found the two burglaries were related — both happened in the same neighbourhood on a Tuesday night.

two [nouns] were related: stating a connection between events

Astrid asked whether her headache was related to the long hours at her computer.

related to [cause]: showing a link to a source

Common collocations
  • related to
  • directly related
  • closely related
  • loosely related
  • remotely related
Synonyms
  • connected

    More general and neutral; 'connected' can refer to physical links, while 'related' tends to be abstract.

  • linked

    Suggests a stronger, more direct tie than 'related'; often used for cause-and-effect chains.

  • associated

    Implies a looser or more indirect connection; common in formal and academic writing.

Antonyms
  • unrelated

    Direct opposite — no connection exists.

Grammar Patterns

A + be + related + to + B

A + and + B + be + related

Usage Note

Frequently used in the pattern 'A is related to B'. When two items form the subject, the pattern 'A and B are related' is also common. Adverbs such as 'directly', 'closely', or 'loosely' indicate the strength of the connection.

Common Mistakes

This issue is related with that problem.
This issue is related to that problem.
'related' takes the preposition 'to', not 'with'.

2. Two or more people who are related share a family bond — for example, they might

2.adjectiveA2
Definition

Two or more people who are related share a family bond — for example, they might be siblings, cousins, or connected through a parent or grandparent.

Example

Sirin and Dahlia did not know they were related until their grandmother showed them an old photo.

be + related: stating a family connection

Ilan is related to the shopkeeper through his mother's side of the family.

related to [person] through [someone]: specifying how the connection runs

Common collocations
  • closely related
  • distantly related
  • remotely related
  • related by blood
  • related by marriage
Synonyms
  • kin

    Old-fashioned or formal; 'kin' is used mostly in historical or legal contexts.

  • blood-related

    Emphasises a biological connection as opposed to connection by marriage.

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

A + be + related + to + B

A + and + B + be + related

Usage Note

Primarily predicative — appears after the verb 'be'. Can be modified by 'closely' (for immediate family), 'distantly' or 'remotely' (for non-immediate family). Do not use 'relative' as an adjective here (e.g., 'She is relative to me' is incorrect).

Common Mistakes

She is relative to me.
She is related to me.
'relative' is a noun or a different adjective; 'related' is the correct word for family connections.

3. If two species of animal or plant are related, they developed from the same earl

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

If two species of animal or plant are related, they developed from the same earlier species over a very long time and share many physical features as a result.

Example

Birds are more closely related to dinosaurs than to any other living group, biologists believe.

closely related to [species]: indicating an evolutionary link

The red panda is related to the giant panda, but the two belong to different biological families.

Common collocations
  • closely related
  • distantly related
  • related species
  • related to
Synonyms
  • akin

    More formal and less common; 'akin' can also be used metaphorically for non-biological similarity.

Antonyms
  • unrelated

    In a biological context, 'unrelated' means no recent common ancestor.

Grammar Patterns

A + be + (closely/distantly) + related + to + B

Usage Note

Most common in scientific descriptions of evolution and biological classification. 'Closely related' means the two species share a recent common ancestor; 'distantly related' means their common ancestor lived much further back in time.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Related', 'connected', 'linked', 'associated', and 'tied' all describe a relationship between two or more things, but they differ in strength and focus. 'Related' is the broadest — it covers logical, causal, or thematic connections without specifying how strong the link is. 'Connected' is very similar but can also describe physical attachments (e.g., 'the pipes are connected'). 'Linked' suggests a more definite, often direct bond — two events are linked when one clearly causes the other. 'Associated' is softer and more indirect, often used in formal or academic language (e.g., 'risks associated with smoking'). 'Tied' implies a close, sometimes dependent relationship (e.g., 'their fates are tied together'). For everyday use, choose 'related' for general links, 'linked' for direct cause-and-effect, and 'associated' for looser, more abstract connections.

connected ↗linkedassociated ↗tied ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • issues
  • topics
  • questions
  • factors
  • species
  • events

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be related to
  • become related

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Related' comes from the verb 'relate', which traces back through Latin 'relatus' — the past participle of 'referre', meaning 'to carry back' or 'to bring back'. The prefix 're-' means 'back' or 'again', and 'ferre' means 'to carry' or 'to bear'. So the basic idea behind 'related' is that two things are 'carried back' to the same source or origin — a metaphor that still fits the modern meanings of family ties and logical connections.