English Reference
adjective

correlated

adj.
US /ˈkɔɹəˌɫeɪtəd/ UK /kˈɒɹɪlˌeɪtɪd/ cor·re·lat·ed

  1. 01 C1 Advanced AcademicTechnical Science

    connected in a way that when one thing changes, the other one also changes.

    having a mutual relationship or connection, in which one thing affects or depends on another; frequently used in statistical contexts to describe variables that move together.

    Simple

    Researchers found that high levels of stress are often correlated with poor sleep.

    In context

    The data suggests that increased consumer spending is positively correlated with rising consumer confidence indices across the eurozone.

    Usage

    Usually followed by the preposition 'with'.

    Teacher's tip

    Remind students that 'correlated' does not mean one thing causes the other; it only means they happen together.

    Pitfall
    The study shows that height is correlated to weight. The study shows that height is correlated with weight.

    In academic English, the adjective 'correlated' is almost always followed by the preposition 'with'.

A 20% reduction in unstructured outdoor time correlated with 9.6% lower offense prevalence and 7.4% lower incidence.

Phys.org· 12 Aug 2026

It also describes searchable signatures that can be correlated with visual identifiers and used to track a target across locations.

The Conversation· 11 Aug 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated