extended family

American  

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

noun

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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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

In one scene, Sensei Sergio introduces Ferguson to his extended family -- and to some of the migrants he hides so they can avoid arrest.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

His son, Dan Levy, who co-created and starred in “Schitt’s Creek,” said his TV mom was extended family.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

It brings groups of foster families together so they can provide advice, support and respite care for each other, like an extended family.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

He also grew up in New Orleans, and often traveled that same countryside while visiting his extended family in nearby Belle Rose.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

If the night of his initiation into the Klan was a homecoming, his acceptance into Durham’s civic life was the discovery of a previously unknown extended family.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• nuclear family