correlation

Meanings

1. A relationship between two things in which a change in one goes with a change in the other.
2. In statistics, a measure of how strongly two sets of data vary together.

Example sentences

• "There is a strong correlation between exercise and good sleep."

  Level B2, Meaning 1

• "The study found no correlation between age and test scores."

  Level B2, Meaning 1

• "A negative correlation means that one value falls as the other rises."

  Level C1, Meaning 2

• "Scientists warn that correlation does not prove cause."

  Level B2, Meaning 1

• "The correlations in the data were weak."

  Level C1, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• causation : Causation means one thing makes another happen. A correlation only shows that two things move together.
• coincidence : A coincidence is a chance event with no link. A correlation is a repeated pattern.
• correspondence : Correspondence means letters, or a close match. It looks like correlation but means something else.
• association : Association is a general word for a link. Correlation is the exact word when the link can be measured.

Word family and forms

Forms: correlations

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "correlation".

• positive correlation
• negative correlation
• strong correlation
• a correlation between
• correlation coefficient
• show a correlation
• find a correlation
• no correlation

Origin

Correlation entered English in the 1500s. Wiktionary traces it to Middle French corrélation, and Dictionary.com to Medieval Latin correlatio. It is built from the verb correlate plus the ending ion. The first part, cor, means together, and the rest comes from the word relation.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

A correlation shows that two things are related, but it doesn't prove that one causes the other.

How to remember it

Split it into co and relation. A correlation is a relation between two things that move together, like two dancers who step in time.

Test yourself

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