nuclear family

[noo-klee-er fam-uh-lee, fam lee, nyoo-]

noun

1. a social unit composed of two parents and one or more children.

nuclear family

noun

1. sociol anthropol a primary social unit consisting of parents and their offspring Compare extended family

nuclear family

1. A type of family made up only of parents and their children. (Compare extended family.)

Pronunciation Note

See nuclear ( def. ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of nuclear family¹

First recorded in 1945–50