EN

Synonyms for relate

27 synonyms
8 antonyms
2 meanings

verb

Most common

refer pertain affect touch connect associate

Synonyms by meaning

Verb

1. Refer — to have a connection

refer, pertain, affect, touch, come to, concern, bear, bear on, touch on, ally, appertain

2. Connect

connect, associate, link, colligate

Other

describe, tell, interrelate, re-count, narrate, detail, enumerate, re-cite, chronicle, report, divulge, repeat

Antonyms

differ, distinguish, disconnect

All antonyms of relate →

Definitions

v. 1
To have a connection.
The patterns on the screen relate to the pitch and volume of the music being played.
v. 2
To tell in a descriptive way.
The captain related an old yarn.

Related words

Word family: relation relationship relatively

Forms

Past participle: related
e.g. related → referred, pertained, affected, touched…

Example sentences

affect Petrol prices affect us all in one way or another.
refer Refer to the instructions to fix the refrigerator.
pertain This discussion does not pertain to you.
describe Please describe to me exactly what happened there.
narrate Who is going to narrate a tale this evening?

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
relate		steady
affect		steady
refer		steady
pertain		steady
describe		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters: tell¹, link¹, bear¹, ally²
5 letters: touch¹, refer²
6 letters: report², affect², detail², repeat²
7 letters: concern², connect², pertain², divulge², narrate²
8 letters: describe²
9 letters: associate⁴, chronicle³, enumerate⁴, appertain, colligate
11 letters: interrelate⁴

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ally² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: relate