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

Ahmed Abu Sharia, a member of the extended family of those being buried, told AFP the funeral would at last provide closure for relatives.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

When they decided to book an exclusive holiday with extended family to Dubai and Thailand, Griffiths said he would book it and Joanne duly paid him back for her share.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 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

To the rest of our extended family, they became the symbol of a happy marriage.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Related Words

• nuclear family