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

Etymology

Origin of extended family

First recorded in 1940–45

Compare meaning

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

• nuclear family vs. extended family

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extended family

"You were failed by each of your parents. You were failed by your extended family," Primm said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Lucy wasn't just staff, Lucy was a member of our extended family and was treasured by us, our customers and her colleagues, many of whom became her close friends.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

His sister said the patrons were like an extended family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

But what clinched the deal, he said, was the fact he’d known Nguyen’s husband and his extended family for years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Everyone but me seems to have their whole extended family here to cheer them on.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

Related Words

• nuclear family