RELATING Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

relating

verb

present participle of relate

as in communing

to form a close personal relationship she and I relate so well it's almost like we're siblings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in describing

to give an oral or written account of in some detail we asked our uncle to relate the story of his visit to communist Russia many years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in pertaining

to have a relation or connection how does your comment relate to what the rest of us have been talking about for the last hour?

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in associating

to think of (something) in combination most Americans probably relate tea to the United Kingdom and coffee to the U.S.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of relating Its symbols represent a mathematical formula relating the time periods of celestial bodies’ motions in the sky. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 13 July 2026 By researching Seth, Jacob is trying to recapture or devise a purer form of relating. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 So, remember, by finding weeds, noting their location, relating them to a condition, and choosing corrective actions based on that condition, gardeners can begin to form maintenance diagnoses for their gardens through weeds. — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2026 The young players seem to like how Harbaugh is teaching and relating, too. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 May 2026 Some of them are old systems of knowledge, ways of relating the body to fertility, death, and survival. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026 The Pisces new moon creates opportunities for fulfillment through relating. — Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026 In relating her story this way, Gisèle is restoring to the record her waking life. — Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026 Morello himself serves as kind of a guide in the film, relating his own love of metal growing up as a Black kid in a conservative, ethnically homogeneous suburb of Chicago. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relating

Verb

Even so, in a digital world increasingly impacted by algorithms and all manner of AI, the allure of performers and music fans communing — live and in real time — cannot be underestimated.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2026
But the main event was Madonna communing with the nearly 3,000 fans at the premiere, most of whom have followed her for decades.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 June 2026

Definition of communing

Verb

Nights in a restaurant are often spent describing flavors, in sensory attention—at least when they aren’t filled with flirting with your coworkers or complaining about guests.

— Kyle Lucia Wu, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 July 2026
DeVriese-Sebilla said those attitudes had lasting consequences for Argentine, describing housing segregation as one of the community’s greatest historical challenges.

— Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

Definition of describing

Verb

On Tuesday, July 14, Teresa Giudice‘s 20-year-old daughter virtually appeared in court for a hearing pertaining to her May 14 arrest alongside her attorney Alan Kraminsky.

— Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
While Wise’s veterinary license remains active, McMahan said that anything pertaining to that license would have to come from the Attorney General’s Office, which would bring findings to the veterinary board.

— Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026

Definition of pertaining

Verb

Meanwhile, the connection between hair shedding and ferritin is well documented, with studies associating low ferritin levels with telogen effluvium, a form of temporary hair loss.

— Fiorella Valdesolo, Allure, 15 July 2026
Some jokes, including a riff on the history of the Wright Brothers, feel vaguely Dada, as if Marino and Wain had spent a long, happy stretch of aimless days drinking coffee and free-associating.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026

Definition of associating

Verb

These short chains of amino acids are found naturally in the body and act as useful messengers, telling cells when to repair damaged tissue, produce hormones, reduce inflammation, and more.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 20 July 2026
The presentation blends stories, historical context and quilt traditions to see how textiles are powerful tools for communication, telling stories and preserving culture.

— La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2026

Definition of telling

Verb

By applying sunscreen before heading outdoors, reapplying throughout the day and pairing it with other forms of sun protection, Mercer said people can reduce their risk of sunburn, premature skin aging and skin cancer.

— Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 17 July 2026
These two drivers are poised to reaccelerate earnings by increasing high-margin recurring revenue and applying DBS to systematically improve Masimo's margins.

— Harvey Stober, CNBC, 16 July 2026

Definition of applying

Verb

In the video, the worker wore an ID badge identifying her as a union member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).

— Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
This includes identifying what messages resonate, where deals stall and how buyers respond over time, while giving teams the context to adapt in real time.

— Tom Burke, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026