What does correlate mean?
To correlate means to have, or to establish, a mutual relationship between two or more things — when one changes, the other tends to change as well. As an intransitive verb it usually appears with 'with', as in 'sleep correlates with memory retention'; as a transitive verb it means to connect or match things systematically, as when researchers correlate findings across studies. In statistics and science, correlation describes how strongly two variables move together, whether positively (both rising together) or negatively (one rising as the other falls). A crucial caveat accompanies this word: correlation does not imply causation — two things may vary together without one causing the other. As a noun, a correlate is either of a pair of corresponding things. The word carries a formal, analytical register and is indispensable in research writing.
(intransitive) To have a mutual relationship in which one thing changes in relation to another; (transitive) to establish or demonstrate a mutual relationship between things.
"Test scores correlate with socioeconomic background."
The intransitive sense normally takes the preposition 'with': 'A correlates with B'.
Either of two things that are mutually connected or correspond to each other.
"Poverty is often cited as a correlate of poor health outcomes."
Frequently used in phrases such as 'a correlate of X' in academic prose.
Standard plural of the noun form; commonly used in research contexts to list multiple associated factors.
"The paper examines several correlates of voter turnout."
In statistics, 'correlate' is famously misused: just because two variables correlate doesn't mean one causes the other — ice cream sales and drownings rise together, but neither causes the other.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of correlate
Correlate derives from the medieval Latin 'correlatus', the past participle of 'correlare' ('to relate together'), formed from 'cor-' ('together') plus 'relare'. Its deeper root lies in Latin 'referre', whose past participle 'relatus' gives English words like relate, relation, and relative. The word entered English in the early modern period, gaining prominence in nineteenth-century scientific and philosophical writing before becoming central to statistical vocabulary.
Related word forms
How correlate is actually used
Chiefly used in academic, scientific, and statistical contexts; the intransitive form typically takes 'with' (e.g., 'X correlates with Y'). The noun form refers to either member of a correlated pair.
Easily confused with correlate
A corollary is a noun meaning a proposition that follows naturally or a consequence of something, while a correlate is something that is mutually connected or corresponds with another thing.