Meaning & use
correlating
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“correlating” is a form of “correlate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Having a link in which a change in one thing tends to go together with a change in another.
Grammar: No object; used with with: sales are correlating with the weather.
Patterns
- correlating with something
- correlating positively with something
Hours of study are correlating strongly with exam results.
Ice-cream sales and sunburn cases are correlating, though neither causes the other.
The researchers noticed that stress levels were correlating with sleep loss.
verbtransitive
Comparing two sets of facts to find out whether and how they are related.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with with: correlating the data with the survey.
Patterns
- correlating something with something
- correlating two sets of data
The analyst is correlating the sales data with weather reports.
We spent the afternoon correlating witness statements with the video.
She is correlating test scores with attendance records for the report.
Word forms
| base form | correlate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | correlates |
| past tense | correlated |
| -ing form | correlating |
Common combinations
- correlating closely with
- Income is correlating closely with education level in the data.
- correlating data
- Correlating data from two studies took weeks.
- positively correlating
- The two variables are positively correlating.
- negatively correlating
- Prices and demand are negatively correlating in this market.
- correlating results
- The team is correlating results across several labs.
Synonyms and how they differ
- corresponding
- Corresponding means matching or being equivalent, while correlating means rising or falling together.
- relating
- Relating is broader, while correlating refers to a pattern that can be measured.
- associating
- Associating is a looser link that may be only in the mind, but correlating is about data.
- connecting
- Connecting is the everyday word, and it does not tell you that the link is statistical.
Opposites
Word family
- correlation noun
- a relationship in which two things change together
- correlate noun
- one of two related things that change together
- correlative adjective
- closely related, or complementary
- correlated adjective
- having a mutual relationship
- uncorrelated adjective
- having no statistical link
Commonly confused: correlating or causing?
correlating vs causing
Correlating does not mean causing. Two things can move together without one being the reason for the other.
Practice
The study found that height and shoe size are ___ strongly, though one does not cause the other.
Choose one answer.
Correlating means changing together in a measurable way. Correcting, collating and corroding are different verbs, and none describes a link between two measures.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “correlating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.