extended family

American  

[ik-sten-did fam-uh-lee, fam lee] / ɪkˈstɛn dɪd ˈfæm ə li, ˈfæm li /

noun

• extended families
  plural

1. a kinship group consisting of a family nucleus and various relatives, as grandparents, usually living in one household and functioning as a larger unit.

2. (loosely) one's family conceived of as including aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and sometimes close friends and colleagues.

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extended family British  

noun

1. sociol anthropol a social unit that contains the nuclear family together with blood relatives, often spanning three or more generations

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extended family Cultural  

1. A type of family in which relatives in addition to parents and children (such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) live in a single household. A nuclear family forms the core of an extended family.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• extended families
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of extended family

First recorded in 1940–45

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Compare meaning

How does extended-family compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nuclear family vs. extended family

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extended family

Over the years, Cruz Jimenez has also had the “bittersweet” experience of adding her father and a nephew, along with several other extended family members, to the ever-growing ofrenda.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

Through the NGO Afghan Aid, Zikrullah, 35, who supports an extended family of 12 in Badakhshan, received improved wheat seeds and fertiliser.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

Three children, a close extended family and lots of friends.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Few if any of them will ever before have seen money like that in their extended family.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

There was an extended family, Mami’s aunts, uncles, and cousins, who dropped in and out of our lives with warm clothes, advice, and warnings.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

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Related Words

• nuclear family

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